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Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear On The Bulwark Podcast Talking About Impact Of Medicaid Cuts. [1]

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Date: 2025-06-28

Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear was on the Bulwark Podcast talking about some of the awful parts of Trump’s and the GOP’s agenda, specifically Medicaid cuts and attacks on the Green Energy Economy. Frankly, I think he did a good job of attacking Trump and his fellow Republicans while also highlighting the great things the Medicaid expansion accomplished. And I thought I would share this with you all for a variety of reasons.

Beshear shows us that some Democrats are good at effective messaging (multiple points repeated and emphasized consicely in about 20 minutes).

The Medicaid cuts and their damage in Kentucky was explicitely stated — 200,000 Kentuckians will be thrown off of Mediciad, 35 hospitals will CLOSE, and 20,000 health care workers will lose their jobs.

Beshear simplified what “work requirements” mean to Mediciad. It’s extra red tape to throw the elderly out of nursing homes and back to having their kids take care of them. Also, workers will lose their health insurance.

There was a good segway into a personal story of a woman with cancer who received life saving treatment through the ACA pre-existing protections and Medicaid expansion.

Beshear managed to land a punch against the Kentucky Congressional Delegation as either Trump syncophants or men who are drunk on their own power. Even the conservative Kentucky Hospital Association is against the Big, Ugly Bill as Beshear stated. His words.

There was also direct linkage to economic damage done right now in Kentucky because of Trump’s love of tariffs. Churchill Downs in Louisville canceled a one billion dollar expansion because of the rising costs of tariffs.

For the first time in a long time, a Kentucky politician stated that Kentucky’s energy economy (coal) is stuck in the past and not the future promised with electric battery production for EV’s. Under Beshear, Kentucky has opened up electric battery production plants.

Am I trying to push Beshear as a presidential candidate for 2028? No, not at this time. Beshear has his faults (I’ve written about how he and his father let the state Democratic Party whither on the vine to the point of Clintonian and Obaman Triangulation). However, Beshear is a moderate I have some respect for when it comes to certain issues.

Yes, shocker. A progressive Democrat can like and support a moderate Democrat. And I wanted to bring this to the attention of others here on Daily Kos and other Democratic party venues as an example of a moderate Democrat who actually is a moderate and not some damn centrist.

Do I think Beshear can be more pointed in his political punches? Sure. But I’m not hearing him say some of the Democratic establishment consultant tested shit that I have grown to despise (We should take the best ideas of the GOP and work with them for the good of the country! Since when is cutting Medicaid and giving tax cuts to the billionaires a good idea?).

One thing I respect Beshear on is that he has never wavered in his support for a woman’s bodily autonomy. Kentuckians know where he supports a woman’s right to an abortion. Full stop.

In a culturally conservative state like Kentucky, a strong stance on abortion would normally see you lose elections. But Beshear has won because he stood for a principle. He hasn’t tried to find some middle ground with the political extremists on the right.

And that is the difference between a real moderate and a phony BS laden centrist. A moderate will have some principles that are not negotiable. Centrists have no ideology other than “I”m not some yucky progressive!” And centrists invariable stick with the status quo on economic matters.

We finally have a Democratic leader in Kentucky who wants to try and see a Green Energy future for our state instead of relying on a dying industry like coal.

Anyway, this is why I wanted to bring this latest from Andy Beshear to your all’s attention.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/28/2330667/-Kentucky-Governor-Andy-Beshear-On-The-Bulwark-Podcast-Talking-About-Impact-Of-Medicaid-Cuts?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

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