Kentuckians Against Matt Bevin

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Deconstructing BNN (Bevin News Network)

I have been working on this post for more than a week. In the time it's taken me to finish, the Bevin administration has started a new social media account on Instagram, launched yet another website, and had several new propaganda pieces hit the internet via Kentucky Today.

Thanks to the United States Constitution, we Americans enjoy a freedom of press that is unheard of in some nations. Russia, China, N. Korea, and Turkey all have state-owned media, where the government not only controls what the media says, they can control what citizens can see on the internet. These countries in particular are all under autocratic rule.

United States Constitution, Amendment I ¹ Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

A free press is vital to democracy;² it keeps the public educated, informed, and works as a watchdog to help curb government corruption. Given that knowledge, it should come as no surprise that authoritarian leaders often try to control the free press for their own gain, and failing that, they seek to destroy them. With this blog entry, I will be attempting to illustrate how KY Governor Matt Bevin is one such leader. Since coming into office he has sought to control the media, destroy the media, and create his own media, not strictly in that order. He has come just short of giving it a name, a lesson likely learned from his bestie, VP Mike Pence, who once attempted to create an official state-run news site³ and found out that it wasn't such a good idea.⁴ Regardless, Bevin has continued to use his exhaustive resources to create a well coordinated propaganda network, which I have lovingly dubbed BNN (Bevin News Network.)

SOCIAL MEDIA

Why does Bevin rely so heavily on social media? Well, as Bevin's communications director, Amanda Stamper⁵, said before a live audience, the governor's office prefers "[...] to control the message without having to go through the different filters that the media puts on things.”⁶

The Governor paints his social media use as open, honest, transparent⁷, and direct, though it has actually proven anything but. Bevin uses social media to talk at constituents, to control the message, and to shape his constituents' opinions; dictating what they should & should not believe. He also uses it to bully opponents⁸ and critics⁹, cast doubt on the media¹⁰, and lob attacks at duly elected constitutional officers.¹¹

Matt Bevin repeatedly solicits constituents to follow him on social media, yet when they get there they are oft times censored, blocked¹², or banned in an effort to control the response, as well as limiting his supporters' exposure to opposing views. Social media users are met with a variety of posts touting his "accomplishments"¹³, disparaging his enemies¹⁴ ¹⁵ ¹⁶ , and introducing new initiatives¹⁷ that seek to paint the governor in a good light. His posts often beseech followers to share videos, stories, and pictures while utilizing special hashtags that help increase his overall social media presence, and disseminate his propaganda.¹⁸

This post pictured above was particularly disingenuous¹⁹, as it's part of Bevin's quest to paint himself as the "second chances" governor. Through posting this picture, on facebook and Twitter, as well as making a press release, the Bevin administration sought to trick the public into thinking he had just signed an executive order which would grant low level felons, without violent or sexual offenses, their rights. However, this was not the case; he had actually signed 24 separate orders granting 24 separate individuals their rights to vote and run for office, including 2 who had been convicted of bribing a county judge magistrate.²⁰ These were the first 24 individuals he restored rights to after more than a year of failure to restore any. Yet, for several days following the post, there were numerous articles praising the Governor for his "bold move," and countless supporters thanking him for being so "gracious" and "selfless."

SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS

Matt Bevin / Governor Matt Bevin (Facebook)
First Lady Glenna Bevin (Facebook)Matt Bevin / Governor Matt Bevin (Twitter)
Jenean Hampton / LG Jenean Hampton (Twitter)
Governor Matt Bevin (Instagram)
Bevin-Hampton Administration (Youtube Channel)

WEBSITES

http://www.mattbevin.com/meet_matt
http://governor.ky.gov/
http://thinkkentucky.com/http://redtapereduction.com/
http://dontletthemdie.com/
https://pensions.ky.gov/Pages/index.aspx

Here's one of the first things you see on thinkkentucky, RTW propaganda.

Bevin has used Red Tape Reduction to accomplish two goals, the first of which is to cut pesky regulations which get in the way of GOP profits; the second is propaganda. The Governor made Red Scissor pins to signify Red Tape Reduction, which he then passed out to state workers and politicians around the nation. It's as much to hype himself, as it is to hype the initiative itself.

The first thing you currently see on dontletthemdie is a newly created initiative to paint rocks in order to help fight opioid addiction, Bevin co-opted the work of several children for this particular stunt. The Governor often uses pictures of children to paint himself in a better light.

Check out the extremely propagandistic background of the new state pension website. It should be noted that this site claims the pension debt is almost double the most recent estimate; a move no doubt meant to justify the gutting of current and future pensions, altering of the KY tax code to benefit the wealthy, and slashing of public services across the board.

The governor has a monthly email "newsletter"²¹, which I like to call "Bevin's Propaganda Monthly." With this, they are able to finely tune and sleekly package their message, sending it straight to consumers without any pesky interference from watchdogs, reporters, and/or critics.

MEDIA COLLABORATORS

Bevin can often be found whining about his critics, and the issue du jour, on Terry Meiners radio show. ²² When the going gets tough, you can bet there will be a Meiners appearance. More recently he has also taken to including more softball interviews with small radio stations throughout the state, but Meiners remains a constant fixture.

Kentucky Today²³ is the media arm of the Kentucky Baptist Convention²⁴, along with the Western Recorder²⁵, whose logo is so religious it utilizes a cross in place of the t. Since Bevin, a devout southern baptist, became Governor, the KBC has run a non-stop bevy of propaganda in his his favor. ²⁶ ²⁷ ²⁸ ²⁹ ³⁰ ³¹ ³² ³³

Richard Nelson ³⁴is a Bevin supporter who can frequently be found releasing pro-Bevin propaganda.³⁵ ³⁶ ³⁷ Mr. Nelson³⁸ is the executive director of the Commonwealth Policy Center (CPC)³⁹ ⁴⁰. He formerly worked with The Family Foundation of Kentucky⁴¹ ⁴² and the Family Research Institute⁴³. Richard Nelson, and other members of the CPC, have authored a multitude of pro-Bevin propaganda pieces, including some which were published in conjunction with Kentucky Today.⁴⁴

This⁴⁵ is what Matt Bevin had to say about Richard Nelson:

“Richard Nelson and the Commonwealth Policy Center are an asset to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Not only do they provide incredible perspective on important social issues, they are also working daily to shore up the pillars of society—life, marriage and religious freedom. Their political engagement on behalf of conservative candidates has been helpful for many, including my own race for governor. I applaud the work they are doing." Governor Matt Bevin

The CPC also has a Youtube channel⁴⁶, where nearly half of their uploaded videos⁴⁷ feature Governor Bevin.

Jeff Jobe,⁴⁸ is the founder & CEO at Jobe Publishing Inc. He writes and publishes pro-Bevin propaganda⁴⁹ ⁵⁰ ⁵¹ pieces in his publications, in addition to bashing "liberal" journalists for their supposed bias while commenting on the Governor's official Facebook page (as pictured below.)

Mr. Jobe can also be found commenting about the biased liberal media on Matt Bevin's official gubernatorial Facebook page.

The Bevin administration also writes their own op-eds, which they send to all the smaller papers⁵² throughout the state in hopes that they'll be published. Some of those op-eds have even bashed the state's two largest newspapers, and when those same papers have subsequently refused to print said op-eds Bevin proceeded to use it as fodder⁵³ in his ongoing "war" on the media.

RIGHT-HAND MAN

Blake Brickman⁵⁴ is Matt Bevin's chief of staff, who spends a seemingly inordinate amount of his time on Facebook⁵⁵ making public posts in which he grouses about the media and extolls the virtues of his boss. He also helps boss Bevin by writing propagandistic op-eds for whichever paper will deign to publish them. ⁵⁶ ⁵⁷ ⁵⁸

Other players include (but are not limited to):

Jim Waters,⁵⁹ president and CEO of the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions (BIPPS) ⁶⁰ ⁶¹
The Republican Party of Kentucky⁶² ⁶³
Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development⁶⁴
Kentucky Association for Economic Development (KAED)⁶⁵ ⁶⁶
Kentucky Labor Cabinet⁶⁷
Kentucky Chamber of Commerce⁶⁸ ⁶⁹

HASHTAGS

Bevin utilizes a bevy of hashtags across social media platforms in an effort to enlist followers in disseminating his propaganda. They include, among others, #WeAreKY #KYShines #WeAreKentucky #ThinkKentucky #KYMakes

SELFIES

Bevin has tried a lot of different methods to get constituents on board with sharing his propaganda, but it all started with selfies. He even tried a "selfie contest⁷⁰." His obsession with selfies appears to be two-fold; first, as previously stated, to get constituents on board with sharing his propaganda, and secondly, to make himself appear friendly, approachable, and available to the public.

RELIGION

One of Bevin's biggest tools in his propaganda tool box is Religion. For some insight into Bevin's religion, as well as how & why he uses it so frequently, check out this previous post I wrote on Bevin's religious agenda entitled, "The Pervasive, Invasive, and Insidious Religious Agenda of Governor Matt Bevin." Bevin has tightly woven religion into every aspect of his persona, using it to recruit and to appease. Religion is a powerful tool, and Bevin wields it expertly. Just check out the comments section of his official Facebook page to see why it works so well (provided you check it out when he's not in the midst of a PR crisis for suggesting we keep statues of traitorous Confederates in a place of honor at the state capitol, and equating BLM to the KKK and other supremacist groups.)⁷¹

CENSORSHIP

Another tool the Bevin administration often employs is the censorship of critics on social media, through a combination of hiding comments, deleting comments, and blocking critical accounts. Their social media policy is not clearly posted on any of the multitude of accounts they use across multiple social media platforms, and it seems to have changed on numerous occasions due to increased focus on the widespread censorship of citizens on social media by GOP politicians.

For over a year⁷², the Bevin administration blocked⁷³ critical commenters rather indiscriminately, which was clear when looking at his official gubernatorial facebook page and seeing 90% positive comments. Now, Bevin claims that they only block commenters who are rude to other commenters, make off-topic comments⁷⁴, or spam the page. While they are much less aggressive with their blockings now, they have become much more aggressive with the hiding of comments & auto-filtering, as well as giving obvious preference to off-topic posts and rude responses from individuals who're supporters versus critics. Their obvious change in tactics is due in part to the lawsuit⁷⁵ made against the POTUS for his unconstitutional blockings on Twitter, and more recently, the lawsuit filed against Bevin by the ACLU.⁷⁶

WAR ON THE MEDIA

As I stated earlier, the Governor started a "war" on the media. Specifically, KY's two largest papers, the Courier-Journal⁷⁷ and the Herald-Leader⁷⁸, which he often refers to using descriptors like FAKE NEWS, liberal rags, sad excuse for a paper, and embarrassments. Bevin also dislikes WDRB⁷⁹ and WAVE 3.⁸⁰ He makes frequent videos calling out the "FAKE NEWS"⁸¹ ⁸² and feeding into his followers' anti-media fervor, most notably stoked by our media hating president.⁸³

The Governor's real issue with the media isn't that it's fake, it's that they are watchdogs who keep digging for the truth. It's why he has blacklisted and bullied certain reporters, namely capital reporters⁸⁴ Ronnie Ellis⁸⁵ of CNHI⁸⁶, and Tom Loftus⁸⁷ of the Courier-Journal. You can find their "offending" stories here⁸⁸, and here.⁸⁹ Bevin has also taken to calling Mr. Loftus, a Kentucky Hall of Fame journalist, a "Peeping Tom" because Loftus was in the vicinity of his Anchorage mansion in order to investigate his news story. He has since used that epithet so many times that he has his supporters believing Tom Loftus is a pervert who should be locked up.

One of Bevin's most recent attack videos⁹⁰ tries to paint the "media" as a pack of perverts, spies, and criminals. In it, he uses very descriptive and persuasive language to try and dictate how the viewer should feel, then asked everyone to post their comments below the video. Bevin ultimately doesn't care about the responses, having gotten what he wanted from the video; to whip his supporters into a fervor and increase the anti-media sentiment, thereby increasing what he can get away with while all eyes are focused on the bad old media bogeymen.

When Bevin demonizes journalists, tells supporters not to trust the mainstream media (MSM), and urges supporters to get their info by doing "their own research," he is actually hoping that they'll eschew real research and defer instead to rightwing sources like Breitbart and the Daily Caller. Taken in combination with Bevin's social media, newsletter, and other efforts, those sites (and others like them) will keep his supporters stuck in a perpetual rightwing feedback loop and never questioning his real agenda or motives.

"The line between a proper complaint about the content of a newspaper or television program and improper pressure on publishers and broadcasters is a fine one. " ⁹¹

"Even if the independence of the media has been established, the press has adapted to the free market, and journalists are upholding standards of responsibility, the battle has not been won. People must learn to live with a free press and broadcasting on a day-to-day basis. They must learn how to resolve their differences without placing the acceptance of the idea of free editorial judgment under too great a strain.

It is not easy to live with this free exchange of ideas, especially where this tradition is absent. The rewards of this freedom, however, are great. Only with freedom of communication is a democratic society possible. Without freedom of communication, the state is deaf and so are the people."⁹¹

REBRANDING

Matt Bevin has made a huge effort to distinguish himself from other politicians throughout his political career. One of his biggest selling points being that he's "not a politician," but rather a businessman. In no other job would his be a selling point, but somehow it's become a plus for recent politicians like Bevin and Trump. Regardless of his supposed non-politician status, he does one thing just as well as his fellow GOP politicians, and that is rebranding. Rebranding is a concept taken from the advertising world, which politicians often use to distance themselves, or legislation they're championing, from the negative connotations associated with their current "brand." Like Right-to-Work, which was rebranded because Union-busting legislation doesn't have quite the same ring to it. Examples of rebranding by the Bevin administration include:

Governor Bevin has faced unprecedented levels of pushback over his pending Medicaid 1115 waiver, in which he is seeking the right to make changes to expanded Medicaid in KY which will push more than 95,000 beneficiaries off the roles. Knowing how risky the changes would prove, the Bevin administration sought to rebrand the move by claiming it was meant to "restore dignity"⁹² to participants. Their latest rebranding came when they attempted to change the narrative by claiming changes resulting from Bevin's waiver wouldn't cut anyone, but that participants would be opting out.⁹³
It's no secret Republicans purport to hate regulation. In reality they hate any regulation which gets in the way of their profits. Environmental, safety, banking, healthcare, and more are frequently the target of Republican ire, often branded as "job-killing"⁹⁴ in an effort to more easily build support for their repeal. Matt Bevin has skipped all that, and authored one giant regulation-killing initiative which he has branded "Red Tape Reduction." Whether or not the initiative has actually accomplished anything is up for debate, but it has been a successful source of publicity, frequently being touted by Bevin to prove he is a friend to "small business."
In a recent email/press release, the Bevin administration announced that they had signed KY onto a coalition asking the Trump administration to repeal the persuader rule, saying, "This regulation threatened to increase legal costs for businesses and undermine the longstanding and vital attorney-client privilege."⁹⁵ What they failed to mention, was that the persuader rule forces businesses to disclose when they've hired professional union busters during union elections. Obviously "business friendly" sounds better than "union busting."
Bevin's social media usage has been rebranded as "transparency," while his efforts to control the response through blocking and other censorship methods has been rebranded as "blocking individuals from engaging in [...] inappropriate conduct."⁹⁶

TARGET AUDIENCE

The more BNN you consume, the more you begin to notice certain trends. Using those trends one can begin to surmise who Governor Bevin is trying to target as potential supporters.

Christians
Families
Conservatives (Including right-leaning dems)
No College education, no liberal arts degree
"Pro-life" (Pro-birth, anti-abortion)
Heterosexual
"Taxpayers" (Not poor and/or don't qualify for safety net programs and/or resent safety net beneficiaries)
Trump voters
Militia
Frequent use of coded language seems to indicate a desire to attract and/or appease white supremacists, racists, and bigots
Heavy use of social media suggests a desire to attract younger voters to his following, as well as helping to cement brand loyalty (Tea Party/GOP)
A strategic targeting of LIVs (Low Information Voters) would appear to be behind their over reliance on catchy buzzwords & graphics, and their emphasis on anti-intellectualism, anti-science, and evangelicalism.

IN CLOSING

Using a combination of social media, websites, email, video, and radio Matt Bevin disseminates his message to supporters, potential supporters, and critics alike. He avoids television interviews and press conferences, in favor of internet videos which he can better control, while his radio interviews are conducted on local stations, with local personalities, and are essentially softball in nature. The websites they utilize are primarily run by state, while the newsletter contains content curated solely by the Bevin administration. All of these outlets are used in order to control the message in a highly coordinated effort to control consumers.

The best tool against Bevin's tactics is the truth, which is why he seeks to insulate and isolate his followers from it, seeking to cut them off from media sources other than those peddling right-wing propaganda which supports his agenda. However, now that you are aware of the Bevin administration's tactics you are better prepared to stay vigilant in their wake, and help others understand what they up against.

"It doesn’t take a dictator to smother a free press: the right combination of financial and political power will do." ⁹⁷

Friday, August 18, 2017

The Pervasive, Invasive, and Insidious Religious Agenda of Governor Matt Bevin

I'm publishing this entry in preparation for another entry to come. Please read it, digest it, discuss it, and share it. Stay tuned...

Governor Matt G. Bevin is a Southern Baptist who attends Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, and made a generous endowment to create the Bevin Center For Missions Mobilization at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS). Albert Mohler, SBTS President, referred to Bevin as a "close personal friend" and a "generous donor." In addition to appointing a host of his fellow church members to various boards and government positions, he handcrafted a $240k/yr + benefits (& chance of bonuses) position as "adoption czar" for his buddy Dan Dumas, VP at SBTS.

In addition to giving a Religious Seminary official carte blanche over KY's adoption and foster care system, Bevin has been working to insert religion throughout our social services sector. One of the first things he did after becoming Governor was to insert himself into a case involving the proselytization of children residing in publicly funded religious care facilities, seeking the settlement nullified in order to allow religious facilities to start proselytizing to vulnerable children once again. He also started an initiative to partner with churches and faith-based organizations to place children into Christian households, using his wife to recruit Baptist women in adopting/fostering kids who "[...] don't know Jesus loves them."

Bevin's religion influences his policy decisions, such as his unending fight against abortion (including supporting Operation Save America [OSA] a group of pro-birth domestic terrorists), his solution for quelling gun violence in Louisville's West End by forming roaming prayer patrols, pushed for new marriage licenses because religious zealot Kim Davis refused to do her job, and helped the professional tax dodgers at AIG secure $18m in tax incentives which resulted in the monstrosity finally being built. He has even attempted to recruit Kentucky's evangelical pastors to preach his message for him.

Other ways he uses religion include, peppering countless social media posts with references to God, Jesus, and Christianity, declaring two years in a row "The Year of the Bible," encouraging the passage of a bill which would allow discrimination against LGBTQ students under the guise of "religious freedom," encouraging passage of another bill which allows the proselytization of school children & prioritization of Christianity in public schools under the guise of teaching "Bible history," referring to his family as having a "quiver full" of children (a blatant reference to the Quiverfull movement, which doesn't believe in using birth control [read: Duggars] as well as many other troubling beliefs), and employing the cadence of a preacher during speeches and public appearances, often impressing upon listeners the need to "be bold."

Given Matt Bevin's previously demonstrated religious agenda, in concert with his other extreme "conservative" priorities, I would say it's very likely he is a member of the Council for National Policy (CNP), a group which has been working in secret for decades with the ultimate goal of instituting an American Theocracy in which Christian Fundamentalism rules. If you think I'm being an alarmist with that assertion, just read this, this, or this. Bevin pretends he is just another man standing up for what he believes, not caring if those beliefs keep him from being elected for another term, but that couldn't be further from the truth. He uses his religion as a weapon, and as a tool to further his agenda while expanding his base. It's dangerous business, and deserves to called out for what it is: religious extremism.

"In the years since then, they have been blessed with a “full quiver” and are now the busy parents of nine children ages 5-16."

Monday, October 31, 2016

Presenting, habitual liar, Matthew Griswold Bevin!

I have a moral obligation to tell y'all, Matt Bevin is a habitual liar. That is a blunt, unequivocal statement and, sadly, it is true. Lies about tax returns, lies about absolute authority, lies about conversations he had with Democratic lawmakers about switching political parties. I have no respect for people who lie for personal or political gain. Matt Bevin is such a person.

Every time this story is brought up, Matt Bevin has a new lie. First it was that the meeting never happened, then it was that there was a meeting but that switching parties was never discussed, now he has added another more elaborate story to the ruse! Matt Bevin is a habitual liar, and this just proves it, if it wasn't already proven before. Let me take a moment to outline the timeline around Matt Bevin's lies on his attempted KY House Switcharoo. I'll follow with a short list of some of his other lies.

JULY 3, 2016
Rep. Kevin Sinnette, D-Ashland, says Governor Matt Bevin invited him to a meeting in the basement of the Governor's mansion, in late December 2015.

During the meeting, he claims the Governor wanted him to switch parties, and said if he didn't, he'd do everything in his power to take him down. The next day, after refusing to switch, recorded phone calls went out to his district, which, amongst other things, urged constituents to tell Sinnette to switch parties.

JULY 13, 2016
Bevin calls allegations by Rep. Sinnette "absolute malarkey."

Going further, and addressing reporter Ronnie Ellis, Bevin said, “It was an absolute lie. You had no corroboration. The reality is that people lie about things. I absolutely, categorically deny every bit of that drivel.

AUGUST 27, 2016
A Second lawmaker comes forward, to say Matt Bevin also asked him to switch parties. Rep. Russ Meyer said when he refused, Bevin threatened him with retaliation.

Speaker Stumbo reacted to the allegations by calling for state and federal investigations into the allegations. If proven true, he said it should be followed by impeachment proceedings.

AUGUST 30, 2016
Rep. Meyer releases a copy of a voicemail left to him by Governor Matt Bevin, saying,

“Good morning Russ, Matt Bevin. I have had some conversations since our last conversation. A little disappointed by what I’m hearing, I would love to speak to you. I want to make sure you understand, where, where things are in my mind…and the decisions that I’m going to make in the days ahead, the weeks ahead, months ahead. I want you to be very aware of what the impact of those decisions will be as it relates to you, your seat, your district, etc., just so that we have all the cards on the table. I will try to reach you back later. This number will come in as ‘unknown.’ If you see it and have a moment to take it, please do. I will be in touch. Thank you.”

He said the message was sent after he refused to switch parties, and before a major road project in his district was cancelled.

Bevin's office said that the allegations were untrue, and that the voicemail was responding to Meyer expressing interest in switching parties so that he wouldn't lose against his Republican challenger.

Bevin also claimed that the project was cancelled because the Beshear administration failed to properly acquire the right-of-way property.

SEPTEMBER 1, 2016
Timeline of the Bevin House Flip allegations.

OCTOBER 5, 2016
House Speaker, Greg Stumbo, appoints 5 member committee to look into allegations Governor Bevin threatened Democratic House members to switch parties and retaliated against one by delaying a major road project.

Bevin's Chief of Staff immediately follows the announcement with his own press conference, in which he called the panel a "political farce." He then went on to say that Meyer went to Governor to request a job, where the governor had previously denied there had ever been a meeting.

OCTOBER 7, 2016
Rep. David Floyd, R-Bardstown, declines to serve on House Committee, citing family concerns.

OCTOBER 21, 2016
Bevin releases emails claiming Meyer knew of right-of-way issue before the road's delay, therefore they claim it couldn't have possibly been delayed in retaliation. Meyer countered that the contract for the project was signed after Bevin came into office, which completely flies in the face of all the Bevin's administrations earlier claims that the delay was the Beshear administrations fault for giving the go ahead knowing there was a right-of-way issue.

House Committee investigating East Brannon Road project is launched. Bevin decries committee, calling it a "silly investigation."

OCTOBER 27,2016
Matt Bevin refuses to send 2 Transportation Cabinet Officials to testify before the House Committee that's tasked with investigating road delay allegations. He claims committee lacks the authority to investigate the issue.

OCTOBER 28, 2016
Speaker Stumbo files suit against the Governor, in an effort to get hold of previously unreleased emails pertaining to the East Brannon Road Project. The Governor had refused to comply with previous open records requests, but immediately released the emails after Stumbo filed suit.

OCTOBER 30, 2016
Governor Bevin makes a facebook post in which he claims he's "morally obligated" to tell the voters of the 39th Kentucky House District (parts of Jessamine and Fayette Counties) that, "State Rep. Russ Meyer is a habitual liar." Then he proceeded to endorse Rob Gullette.

Link to the post in full.

After repeated denials that the meeting even took place, he finally changes his story to:

"After my election, and less than one year into his first term, Russ Meyer came to my administration looking for a job as a way to increase his income and his pension. I made it very clear that this was not going to happen. Russ Meyer then wanted to discuss the possibility of switching parties for fear that he might otherwise lose his seat. He did, in fact, discuss this topic on multiple occasions with members of my administration. In each instance, he was told that there would be no personal incentive offered for him to do so. His blatant misrepresentation of those discussions is reprehensible."

Quite the change in tune!

More of Matthew Griswold Bevin's lies:

July 2013
Bevin claimed to be a fiscal conservative who opposed special-interest bailouts, but took a $200,000 taxpayer funded bailout when his CT Bell Factory burned down. He didn't have insurance at the time, because it was "too expensive."

August 2013
Bevin lied about never having claimed to have graduated from MIT.

August 2013 - December 2013
Bevin supported shutting down the Government in order to defund "Obamacare." In December, he changed his tune, saying it was irresponsible to get to that point, and that Republicans and Democrats should be working together.

February 2014
Bevin lied and said he opposed the Wall Street bailout, when in actuality he signed a letter to investors praising it.

He said same-sex marriage could lead to parents marrying their children, then immediately denied saying it.

April 2014
Bevin lies about attending a cockfight. Subsequently defends cockfighting, at a cockfight, on tape.

February 2015 - Current
Matt Bevin says he will repeal Medicaid expansion, then lies and says he never said that. Bevin proceeded to submit Kentucky HEALTH to the federal Government, a plan designed to reduce access and coverage for KY's working poor. He insists now, that if the Federal Gov't doesn't cede to his demands, he'll repeal Medicaid Expansion in KY, thereby eliminating health care for over 440,000 Kentuckians living in poverty.

March 2015
Matt Bevin says he's against P3, because private companies expect to make a 4th P, Profit. Changes his story in August of 2015, saying he only opposes it in the case of Brent Spence Bridge Project. Then, at some point, he changed it to "I'm not opposed to P3, I've never, ever, said that." Bevin signed P3 into law in April 2016.

December 2015 - October 2016
Bevin lies about supporting the restoration of Felons' voting rights. Doesn't restore any during his first 10 months in office!

November 2015
Matt Bevin lies about Tax Returns

March 2016
Bevin makes video lying about Democratic lawmakers. Saying they weren't working, but they were actually working a different building. He used the video to try and Flip the House.

May 2016
Bevin lied about supporting George W. Bush's Real ID. After urging Republican lawmakers to pass the law, he quickly turned around and vetoed it.

July 2016
Governor Bevin lies about U of L accreditation, saying it's not at risk by his disbanding of the U of L BOT. He also lies and says he has "absolute authority" to disband the board.

He even tried to block the original board from meeting after the judge reinstated them.

September 2016
Bevin lied about his speech he gave at the VVS, an event held by the listed hate-group, the FRC. Saying it was about the military.

October 2016
Matt Bevin lies about the Johnson Amendment, during super secret meetings with Kentucky pastors.

Presenting, habitual liar, Matthew Griswold Bevin.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Bloodshed Bevin presents "Super secret, vote Republican, Pastor Appreciation forums"

Ok, I want to take some time to try and explain everything I have dug up about this video. I've been doing quite a bit of digging since I first found it, on September 30, 2016. First, let me show you the video, in case you have no clue of what I am speaking:

So, this video was taken on September 29, 2016, at what is being billed as a "Pastor Appreciation Forum." A series of unpublicized, closed to the public, events.

Please ignore the small, phallic shadow....someone obviously misunderstood "Johnson amendment."

One notable name in attendance, is a fellow by the name of Richard Nelson. Richard Nelson, used to work for The Family Research Council (FRC), but left to create his own organization known as The Commonwealth Policy Center (CPC.) The CPC bills itself as, "[...] the only conservative grassroots effort in Kentucky committed to promoting conservative policies and influencing elections on behalf of principled conservative candidates."

According to Richard's facebook page, he presented Bevin with a "Friend of Religious Liberty Award."

Notice the screen behind him in the first picture? Well, that is displaying the site http://www.watchmenpastors.org/ which, interestingly enough, links to the afforementioned FRC, where they champion such lovely causes as sexism, homophobia, and transphobia...among other things! So, back to Watchmen Pastors...what do they have to say about politics?

Q. What about the "Separation of Church and State?"
A. This is a misleading argument repeatedly trumpeted by secularists who denounce biblical morality and truth. As you probably know this often repeated mantra appears no where in our founding documents or governing documents. However, let us be clear, no one, especially bible believing Christians are calling for a state church. We do not believe any Church should rule over the State or the State over any Church, they were both created by God to fulfill separate but interrelated purposes. What is really meant by this phrase is a separation of God from government or Christians from the public square. This we unapologetically reject. We believe that since God ordained government (Rom. 13:1), He would want His people to influence it. After all, government is one of the spheres we should impact in our role as "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world" (Matt. 5:13, 16). Active engagement is also a legitimate contemporary application for Christians in America of what the Lord Jesus called for when He commanded: "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's" (Matt. 22:21).

Q. Are you asking us to get involved in Partisan Politics?
A. Absolutely not. The call to become a Watchman pastor and form a Watchmen network is something with far more eternal significance. A recent poll from the Culture and Media Institute shows that 74% of Americans believe our nation is in moral decline but only 36% believe we should live by God's principles of right and wrong. There is recognition of a problem but an inability to see the solution. We realize that the church must respond with repentance and experience revival if we are to lead a reversal of the moral decline in America . Therefore the Watchmen network is first and foremost a call to prayer. It is second of all a call to actively influence every area of society, including government, as the salt and the light (Matt. 5:13 -16). We must pray for revival and work for public policy that reflects biblical truth and support godly government, but we must not sell our souls to any political party or politician.

So, they want pastors to not only engage in politics, but to influence them, and to work for public policy that reflects their narrow view. They want to impose their religious view on the rest of us, by working as (and helping elect) bible-thumping politicians. Hmmm, it's weird, imposing their version of religion on everyone else? Reminds me of someone....Osis, Usis, Esis....I swear, it's on the tip of my tongue... Oh well, moving on! This was not the first event of it's kind. The first, was held on September 22, 2016, and the man who claims responsibility for that one is one Pastor Jeff Fugate of Clays Mill Road Baptist Church. He said, in his morning sermon on September 25, 2016, that he went to Bevin with the idea, and Bevin was all like, "Gee willikers friend! That's an amazing idea!" and lo, there was "Pastor Appreciation Forum 2016."

Bruce Rabon, State Administrative Bishop at Kentucky Church of God State Office, spoke along Pastor Jeff Fugate, Governor Bevin, Rep. Stan Lee (R) HD 45, and possibly others of which I'm not aware.

Looking at his twitter profile, he does not care for LGBT persons, or women's rights, shocker, I know! Other notable names in attendance:

Representative David Hale (R) HD 74, who, on his facebook election page, has previously said in part "I have and will continue to stand for families, education and conservative values. A highlight of this was co-sponsoring the first piece of pro-life legislation to pass the House in 12 years." His email: david.hale56@yahoo.com

Larry D. Brown (R), who is running for State Representative in the 95th District against Greg Stumbo

Chris Fugate, Pastor of Gospellight BaptistChurch, running For State Representative 84th District, Brother of Jeff Fugate

Alrighty, now let me remind you of what Bevin said in that first video:

"...since 1954, do you know how many churches have lost their tax exempt status because of political speeches from preaching that has occurred? [audience: Zero, Praise God!] - Zero! The reality is it is an absolute paper tiger and there is no reason to fear it there is no reason to be silent, and if you have been exhorted and encouraged to have this boldness and this spirit, to be unapologetic, then I would encourage you to do it."

Governor Bevin's press secretary claims that "The Governor simply encouraged the ministers to preach boldly." Hogwash! The Johnson Amendment says:

Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity. Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes.

Certain activities or expenditures may not be prohibited depending on the facts and circumstances. For example, certain voter education activities (including presenting public forums and publishing voter education guides) conducted in a non-partisan manner do not constitute prohibited political campaign activity. In addition, other activities intended to encourage people to participate in the electoral process, such as voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, would not be prohibited political campaign activity if conducted in a non-partisan manner.

On the other hand, voter education or registration activities with evidence of bias that (a) would favor one candidate over another; (b) oppose a candidate in some manner; or (c) have the effect of favoring a candidate or group of candidates, will constitute prohibited participation or intervention.

So, when the governor tells them to ignore the Johnson Amendment, what he's really telling them is "Go forth my children, and preach Republican politics, so that we may flipith the House, and I may have full control over the Legislature!" And what did they respond with? "Amen! Heil Bevin!"

P.S. Thank you to everyone who has covered this video in their blogs and articles! Please keep sharing, we need to make sure this behavior is exposed!