Councilman Jim King (D) attended McConnell fund raiser to speak to senator, says he didn’t donate, admits it was a mistake
Matt Gunterman November 28th, 2007
WHAS’s Mark Hebert spoke with Metro Councilman Jim King (D) about his appearance at the fund raiser of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) last night. King’s defense of himself rings true, especially considering that he admits that his presence there was “dumb” and “politically naive”. You don’t hear politicians admitting that about their actions too often, even when what they’ve done is blatantly so.
UPDATE (1.21am): As Judy notes from the comments, the war protest was a success. I thank all the people who were there protesting and making all our voices heard by doing it. I thank you for your message and I thank you for your time. And, furthermore, without you there, we wouldn’t have known about Councilman King.
PageOneKentucky has a post up on the King incident and it has an email statement from him. I think we’re all in agreement here that King’s biggest mistake was not taking the time when he was first identified by the protesters to explain the situation. That would have saved him a lot of trouble and grief, and there wouldn’t be questions today about whether he can ever be mayor. In short, if he was willing to go through all that trouble to speak to Mitch McConnell, then he should have been just as willing to speak to his constituents outside.
Demo. Councilman King at McConnell Fundraiser
Oops. A democratic Metro Council member who wants to someday run for Louisville Mayor was spotted at a fundraiser for republican U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell last night.According to Louisville realtor Gregg Wagner, Jim King was at the McConnell fundraiser with three other gentleman. Wagner was one of about 20 war protestors who gathered outside the fundraiser which was held at the Cherokee Place home of republican businessman Larry Bisig. According to Wagner, when King left the fundraiser he walked past the protestors refusing to answer their question “what are you doing here Jim.” Wagner says he and the other protestors were “livid” that a democratic Metro Council member would attend a fundraiser for McConnell then ignore the mostly democratic crowd of protestors out front.
Wagner says he called King today and King returned it. According to Wagner, King said he’d been trying to get a meeting with McConnell for more than two years. King told Wagner he wanted to discuss an “FAA issue” with the senator but couldn’t get his ear. King claimed he rode along with a few friends who were going to the fundraiser so he might get a chance to finally talk to McConnell. King told Wagner he did not donate to McConnell’s campaign.
I’ve placed a call to King’s cell phone to hear the rest of the story.
UPDATE: Just talked to King. He admits is was “dumb” and “politically naive” on his part to walk into a McConnell fundraiser with a bunch of Iraq war protestors out front. King says he talked to McConnell about pressing the FAA to change the main runway at Louisville Int’l Airport from the east runway to the west runway so planes would fly over industrial areas, not the Audobon Park and Germantown neighborhoods in King’s Metro Council district. McConnell told King he wasn’t aware of the issue but would now look into it. King says he didn’t contribute any money to McConnell and plans to back the democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in ‘08. He also says he’s an opponent of the war in Iraq and didn’t realize how his appearance at the republican fundraiser would look like a snub to the protestors.
- 2008 KY U.S. Senate Race , Iraq War , Jim King , Mitch McConnell , fundraising
- Comments(11)
Besides the story here about Jim King, the McConnell protest outside the GOP fund-raiser was very successful. McConnell foolishly went to a house on Cherokee Terrace with only one way to get in and out. He had his guards sneak him up a neighbor’s driveway where the protesters were waiting with signs. Once he went into the house, he was stuck, with no way out except to drive by 20 people yelling at him to End the War.
So Mitch’s guards his backed his big SUV into the garage, where he got in and laid down on the seat “so we couldn’t see him.” Pretty pathetic for the most powerful GOP Senator. Lots of planning went into Mitch’s departure from the party. Too bad he will not spend that kind of time working on an exit strategy from Iraq. We would be out of there by now. Heckuva Job, Mitch.
He also says he’s an opponent of the war in Iraq and didn’t realize…. some of us REALIZE!
Are We Having Fun Yet?
‘we’re tellling lies and having fun, turning on and learning how to DIE’ sez Kris.
Does anyone believe this line from Jim King?
King is too self-aggrandizing for this to be true. If he wants to be mayor, he believes he needs to keep the edges smoothed down to inhibit resistance.
Nahhhhhh, I don’t believe it. McConnell knows about the runway situation - if King has actually been writing him for the past two years. That’s why McConnell gets interns from his privately funded trust at U of L - to get a 1 page precis of political issues, daily, double spaced - open margins for his comments.
King isn’t smart enough to realize that McConnell is finished as a political force. When his term is over and Elaine’s finished as Sec Laor, They will take their pensions to Taiwan and live somewhere around Mount Morrison.
I’m not really buying it, personally.
A lot of Democrats feel the need to suck up to the Republican office holders. Hopefully the rank and file Democratic voters will not be voting for the Republican incumbents just because their party leaders are so chummy with the Republican incumbents. Remember the Republican Party is the minority party in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House, and the Kentucky House, and loses their hold on the Kentucky governor’s mansion Dec. 12. The Republicans are on the losing side, and Democratic politicians only hurt themselves by being publicly identified with helping to re-elect Republican incumbents.
If it’s not true, then I have to say that King’s done a pretty good job in the covering his ass department. At least he’s admitted that it was stupid of him to do it. It would have only fanned the flames more to defend his actions.
You know what really sucks? The fact that losers like you guys are the ones who whine about bi-partisanship when you’re out of power, but by god you’d better never catch a Democrat supporting a Republican for ANYTHING no matter how much of a pipe-dream it is that you’ll beat him next time around.
Well Hero,
When the Republican is: McCain, Hagel, Snowe, Spector, Lugar, Dole [either], Ensign, Wyden, Weber, Danforth, Bond, Kassebaum or Abraham - yeah we can negotiate with a Republican who will return the good-faith effort we employ.
At no time does bi-partisanship require the we support an opponent for office. Bi-partisanship requires good-faith efforts in goverance.
Now, Hero take your inept accuasations out on the golf course and play in the snow with white golf balls; Play tennis with hand grenades, run a marathon in frogman flippers or any other such activity that is in a similarly futile class of behavior as your political ineptitude.
Hero, “Bi-partisanship” does not mean enabling War Criminals — McConnell, Bush and his WH Gang.
i think king is very smart and knows what hes doing and we would be lucky if he was mayor.