Matt Bevin: America's Worst Governor

Kentucky’s Republican Governor Matt Bevin has once again proven he’s unfit to lead a homeowner’s association, much less an entire state.

During remarks to the Louisville Rotary Club, Bevin responded to a question about what can be done to stem gun violence. He first read the GOP mantra about mental health and firearm safety—as opposed to actual gun control—but then took aim at …wait for it …it’s epic … teachers:

“One thing you almost didn't hear anything about while we had people pretending to be sick when they weren't sick and leaving kids unattended to or in situations that they should not have been in—a little girl was shot, 7 years old, by another kid, because they were somewhere that they weren't intended and because a parent didn't have any option, put them in a situation so that they could go to work, it left these kids in a compromised situation where they encountered a gun and there was not enough awareness."

Bevin seemed to be referencing a March 12 shooting where a 7-year-old girl was shot by her 11-year-old brother inside their home while their guardian, their uncle, was outside. But he didn’t say anything about that, he blamed striking teachers for the death of a child.

Of course, this is not the first time Bevin has claimed teacher protests have put children in harm's way. After a teacher rally in April 2018 shut down dozens of school districts across Kentucky, Bevin told reporters that children were being sexually assaulted or ingesting poisons somewhere in the state because teachers were not in class.

And, of course, as Republican’s tend to do when they put their foot in their mouths, Bevin lashed out at the media for reporting what he … reporting exactly what he said:

"The only thing you all are pumping out there is talking this 7-year-old girl who was shot—really? That's pretty sad. And it's why our state is struggling because we're not focusing on things that are important."

The death of a child by gunshot is unimportant, y’all in Kentucky and so, please remember that your governor—for now, because Bevin, who gleefully praises the NRA for its endorsement is seeking reelection—seems less interested in the death of a child than he is in painting teachers striking for a living wage as the cause of that death.

And it’s ironic, because the first thing NRA-goose-stepping Republicans do when there’s a shooting death in America and people began screaming for stricter gun control, is to shout that this should not be a political issue, and yet here is Matt Bevin doing exactly that.

You don’t politicize the shooting death of a child … of anyone.

Courier Journal