Winning and losing

In formally announcing that he's a candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination yesterday, Paducah businessman Billy Harper said of Gov. Ernie Fletcher: "He can't win the general election. Renominating him is the same thing as handing the statehouse to the Democrats."

Conventional wisdom would suggest that Harper is right. A governor who issued a blanket pardon for numerous aides and allies indicted in a hiring scandal and who subsequently was indicted himself wouldn't appear to be the best candidate for re-election.

But for conventional wisdom to prevail, Democrats have to field a good candidate. Right now, with some of their best and brightest already on the sidelines voluntarily and with other potential players milling around indecisively waiting for someone else to jump first, the question of whether a credible Democratic candidate will emerge remains very iffy indeed.

So, even if Fletcher can't "win" the 2007 general election, it's still quite possible that the Democrats can "lose" it to him. Indeed, at the moment, they're acting like that's their game plan.