Al Cross

Opinion contributor

On Sept. 9, Gov. Matt Bevin accused his opponent for reelection, Attorney General Andy Beshear, of using a “scare tactic” by running a TV ad alleging that Bevin’s “education cuts” could leave some communities without schools.

Bevin had a point. But a week later, his campaign aired an ad of its own that is nothing but a scare tactic — a base, simplistic appeal to fear of immigrants. This from a man who has adopted four children from Ethiopia.

Oh, sure, the ad says it is about “illegal immigration” and “illegal immigrants,” and it uses each phrase twice. But consider the audience.

Only 3.2% of Kentuckians are foreign-born, the seventh smallest share among the states, and people of color are only about 10% of our state's population. Hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians don’t really know a person of color, much less an immigrant.

And the ad prominently features President Donald Trump, for whom immigration was the nucleus of his 2016 victory. In Republican primaries and caucuses, he did best in places with recent influxes of immigration.

Bevin:My use of state plane isn't Kentucky taxpayers' business if they aren't paying

In the general election, Trump got 63% of Kentucky’s vote, fifth best in the nation. Three of the states with higher percentages (West Virginia, North Dakota and Wyoming) are among the states with more foreign-born population than Kentucky.

Bevin’s ad says, “President Trump and Governor Bevin cracked down on illegal immigration. Liberal Andy Beshear sides with illegal immigrants.” On the screen, these words appear: “Andy Beshear / pro-illegals.”

The flimsy factual basis for those assertions is their views of a proposed bill for the 2020 General Assembly that would supposedly outlaw “sanctuary cities.” Bevin supports it; Beshear says it isn’t necessary.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Paducah, has said that no Kentucky city meets the bill’s definition of a sanctuary city but that it would negate a Louisville ordinance prohibiting police from assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement except under a warrant, court order or concern of public health or safety.

Louisville appears to be the only major television market in which the ad is running, though it is on social media and could be on cable in selected markets.

The really outrageous part of the ad characterizes Beshear’s opinion of the legislation with one of the more scurrilous lines ever run on paid TV by a candidate for Kentucky governor: “Andy Beshear would allow illegal immigrants to swarm our state.”

“Swarm” is a verb usually used to describe insects, not human beings. Those who use it the latter way are often racists. Bevin is no racist, but his ad appeals to voters driven by racism and fear, not logic.

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The ad’s argument against Beshear is a non sequitur, a statement that doesn’t logically follow from the previous statement. Opposing the bill doesn’t mean Beshear supports illegal immigration. Bevin may have a legitimate point about their comparative stances, but he’s making it illegitimately.

Finally, illegal immigration is a federal issue and isn’t a big problem in this state. Says who? Matt Bevin. He told reporters Monday that it isn't "a huge issue for us as a state, but it's a concern for this country," and he is running the ad because the issue "matters to people who live here."

In other words, Bevin has polling and walking-around knowledge that tells him many voters do consider it a big issue, and he knows it is one that can motivate people to get out and vote, which is a problem for him since he is unpopular — even among many of his fellow Republicans.

For Democrats, the good news is that Bevin wouldn’t be running such an ad if he were ahead. But he also wouldn’t be running it if he didn’t think it would help him. Will it work? That's up to you, the voters.

Bevin's use of our state airplane

I wasn’t planning to write about Bevin’s refusal to give reasons for his 67 trips to 29 states in a state airplane, since it’s been well covered. And I had my say on Twitter: “A governor who’s a public servant 24 hours a day and uses state planes for travel should be willing to tell his paymasters, the taxpayers, the purpose of his travels. Paying for them is not enough. He can use the planes because he’s governor. That’s a privilege with an obligation.”

But I was glad to hear talk-show host Leland Conway of WHAS Radio agree Thursday, saying Bevin should fess up — not just because he has an obligation, but because it’s hurting his campaign.

“Reminder, Governor Bevin: You work for us; it’s a state-owned plane,” Conway said. He added later, “Answer the damn question. I don’t think the governor’s up to anything nefarious here. Don’t lecture the taxpayers. Stop being the state dad. ...Talk with us, don’t lecture us.”

Amen.

Al Cross, a former Courier Journal political writer, is professor and director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky. He writes this column for the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism. Reach him on Twitter @ruralj.