Jim Pence May 14th, 2008

Update from Pol Watchers: Bruce Lunsford, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, apologized Wednesday for a misstatement during a statewide televised debate on Monday about his prior campaign contributions to Republican candidates.

 

LOUISVILLE, May 13, 2008 – Bruce Lunsford did not tell the truth during the KET Democratic Senate Primary debate last night when he said he didn’t donate “tens-of-thousands of dollars” to Republicans. According to state and federal election finance records, Lunsford has given more than $60,000 to Republican candidates since 1990.

In the most heated moment of the debate, Lunsford criticized Fischer’s financial contributions to Democrats as insufficient. Responding to the attack, Fischer pointed to Lunsford’s financial contributions to Republican candidates. “Bruce has given tens-of-thousands of dollars to Republicans,” Fischer said.

Lunsford then accused Fischer of distorting the truth “I haven’t given tens-of-thousands of dollars to Republicans. In fact it’s just the opposite,” Lunsford said.

The following list of Lunsford contributions to Republicans shows that Lunsford gave $60,850 to Republicans from March 1990 to Ocober 2006. The list is compiled from records from the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance; Arkansas Secretary of State Office, New York State Board of Elections; and the Federal Election Commission.

 

06/10/97 National Republican Senatorial Committee $2,500.00

07/10/97 Bluegrass Committee (Sen. McConnell’s PAC) $2,500.00

07/11/97 Citizens for Bunning $1,000.00

07/30/97 New Republican Majority Fund $5,000.00

03/16/98 Bluegrass Committee (Sen. McConnell’s PAC) $2,500.00

04/24/98 Northup for Congress $250.00

07/09/98 Northup for Congress $1,000.00

10/27/99 McConnell for Senate $250.00

04/07/00 Bush for President Inc. $1,000.00

05/01/02 Lamar Alexander for Senate $1,000.00

05/15/02 Mike Huckabee $1,000.00

05/22/02 Janet Huckabee $500.00

05/25/04 Republican Party of Kentucky $1,000.00

06/23/04 Northup for Congress $500.00

03/14/05 Northup for Congress $500.00

10/13/05 New York State Senate
Republican Campaign Committee $1,000.00

10/31/05 Rep. Trey Grayson, Sec. of State $1,000.00

05/15/06 Northup for Congress $1,600.00

05/15/06 Northup for Congress $500.00

10/05/06 Northup for Congress $1,500.00

Total $60,850.00

 

“I don’t enjoy having to point out this discrepancy,” said Fischer. “But when a candidate for public office stands before a statewide audience on live TV and says something that’s blatently false, I think you have to point that out.”

In another misleading attack during last night’s debate, Lunsford lambasted Fischer for failing to support Democratic Congressman John Yarmuth in 2006. However, Lunsford failed to disclose that he himself contributed $4,100 to Yarmuth’s opponent, Republican Anne Northup in that campaign.

“Lunsford has a problem with the truth. He’s demonstrated a pattern of distortion when it suits his purposes,” said Kim Geveden, Fischer campaign political director. “He’s bending the truth when he describes Vencor, a company he bankrupted, as one of the greatest business success stories in Kentucky. He’s bending the truth when he defends his record as CEO of Vencor, by saying the company never admitted guilt when it paid a $104 million fine to settle Justice Department charges of fraudulent billing. And he outright lied last night when he said he hadn’t donated tens-of-thousand of dollars to Republicans.”

“The pattern is clear,” Geveden said. “When you confront Lunsford with facts he doesn’t like, he twists, distorts and hides the truth.”

Lunsford’s history of supporting Republicans is well documented. In 2003, Lunsford entered the Democratic Primary race for Governor against fellow Democrats Jody Richards and Ben Chandler. However, four days before the election, Lunsford abruptly quit the race. Then during the general election for governor, Lunsford endorsed Republican Ernie Fletcher and appeared at a press conference with Sen. Mitch McConnell to make the announcement. After Fletcher won the governor’s race, Lunsford chaired the Fletcher transition committee that re-cast Kentucky’s executive branch in a Republican mold.

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Shawn Dixon May 4th, 2008

The Courier-Journal endorsed Obama for President today, just a few days before folks across the river in Indiana will go to the polls and about two weeks before we Kentuckians vote.

Here’s a little piece of the endorsement.

….we also believe that Sen. Obama is the Democratic candidate better equipped to restore Americans’ hope for the future and to bring change to Washington.

For that reason, we endorse Sen. Obama in Tuesday’s Indiana primary and in the May 20 contest in Kentucky.

Sen. Obama’s relentless focus on change, and the hordes of new voters he draws to the polls, would make it hard for his victory to be read as anything other than a mandate for changing how Washington works.

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Shawn Dixon April 29th, 2008

Here it is, almost 11:30 PM, less than a week away from the beginning of the second round of my first year finals in law school and what am I doing? Sitting in the library reading Kentucky political news on teh internetz of course!

An interesting article just popped up in my inbox and caught my eye so I had to take a break from learning tort law to write about it.

The Hill is running a story about Greg Fischer’s strengthening campaign. But, what I find most interesting about the article is that Bruce Lunsford goes out of his way to be completely dismissive of the progressive community and the Netroots influence on the race.

Lunsford compared Fischer’s candidacy to former state treasurer Jonathan Miller’s (D) run for governor last year, which never took off despite early netroots support.

Lunsford finished a distant second in the six-way primary, losing to now-Gov. Steve Beshear (D), 41-21.

“It kind of centers around four or five families and a few progressives, and the rest of the state, especially outside of Louisville, barely know who they are,” Lunsford said of Fischer’s campaign. “It’s more of an east-end, upper-echelon, second- and third-generation crowd.”

I think Lunsford is being a little presumptuous about the race being all but over. While everyone acknowledges that the race will be hard fought for Fischer, the new SUSA numbers are extremely encouraging for him and are not good news for Lunsford. Not only did Fischer double his numbers in only two weeks, Lunsford lost 4 points.

Folks are just now starting to pay attention to the race. As more people start tuning in, the numbers are only going to become more fluid. Three weeks is a political eternity and more than enough time to make up the gap between Fischer and Lunsford. In fact, if these numbers continue trending the way they are now, this is going to be a very close race. And that’s not just some pie-in-the-sky dream, that’s just simple math.

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Shawn Dixon April 1st, 2008

Jim Pence left in the comments an e-mail he received from a Change For Kentucky member. It merits highlighting just to set the record straight.

RESPONSE TO EMMONS SPEECH

On March 29, 2008 at the Ruby Laffoon Dinner in Madisonville, Dale Emmons speaking on behalf of the Bruce Lunsford campaign said, “Change For Kentucky, also another working families group, agrees it’s time for Bruce to replace Mitch McConnell in the United States Senate.”

It is NOT so that we “agree.”

In fact as a statewide organization Change For Kentucky is taking no position in the US Senate primary. Our individual members and our local groups may be working with a particular candidate, but our organization has no official position on who the best candidate would be.

For the record, we endorsed Jonathan Miller and then Steve Beshear in the Democratic primary for Governor in ‘07. More recently we endorsed Andrew Horne for the ‘08 Democratic nomination for US Senate.

Since that time we have made no announcements on who should or should not be supported for any office. However, we do remain committed to our core mission: sharing information and training with our local groups throughout the state, so they can support the candidates of their choice.

Dan Shumer

Co-Organizer

Change For Kentucky

shumer@insightbb.com

859-277-0066

However, the following county chapters have endorsed Greg Fischer: Campbell County, Frankfort and Franklin County, Kenton County, Mason County and Shelby County. (Info via Change For Kentucky. )

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Shawn Dixon March 28th, 2008

If you’re looking to hear about issues in the Senate race, don’t count on Mitch McConnell to bring them up. I’m on his e-mail list and get his campaign e-mail “updates.” Quite frankly, they are nothing more than sad letters begging for money and talking about how the “left” is out to get him. Rather than talk about issues important to Kentuckians, McConnell talks about what he’s good at: collecting money and misleading voters.

In today’s “the left is out to get me” email, McConnell put his hypocrisy on full display.

From McConnell’s “update” to his supporters when talking about his Democratic opponents:

Ironically, most of their support comes from outside the Commonwealth! But I know I have friends like you, and I need to match them dollar-for-dollar in their fundraising. The truth is I want to show them how much Kentuckians support commonsense leadership in the Senate. But the only way I can do that is with your help.

So, McConnell attacks his opponents saying that their money is coming from out-of-state. That’s interesting give that if you look at McConnell’s fundraising numbers, you will notice that comes overwhelmingly from outside the state. The radical right, pharmaceutical and healthcare companies from all over the country have bought and paid for McConnell.

In fact, during in 2007-2008 fundraising cycles more than 2/3 of McConnell’s donations have come from out-of-state donors. The numbers, available at OpenSecrets, show that McConnell has raised $2.9 million from out-of-state donors while his in-state donations don’t even equal half that at $1.4 million.

I’m sure McConnell’s shameless, hypocritical tactics are news to no one. If McConnell is so opposed to out-of-state donors, I wonder if he is willing to put his money where his mouth at and agree to go toe-to-toe with the Dems this fall by agreeing that both candidates will only use funds from in-state contributors and refund the rest of his contributions to the healthcare industry?

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Shawn Dixon February 14th, 2008

I just want to take a little time today and reflect on the great hand that the Kentucky grassroots is being dealt this election cycle. While I’m the first to admit that beating Mitch McConnell this fall will be a challenge, the grassroots has a real opportunity to cash-in on a trifecta of opportunities the presidential primaries and your hard work have given us.

By now it’s clear that John McCain will be the Republican nominee for president this fall. It is also clear, that no matter who the Democratic nominee is, his or her candidacy will be a historic one that will unite the base like never before. And, most importantly, the Kentucky grassroots is working harder and smarter and making more of an impact than ever before. These three things are a lethal combination for Mitch McConnell’s candidacy in the November elections.

Come with me as we examine the triple-play that will usher McConnell out the door this fall.

(1) McCain versus McConnell Republicans

John McCain at the top of the Republican ticket this is terrible news for Mitch McConnell. In short, John McCain Republicans simply are not Mitch McConnell Republicans. McConnell represents the far right wing of the Republican party. That wing is not going to show up to the polls in November to pull the lever for John McCain. I don’t have to belabor the point because you need only listen for five minutes to any conservative talk radio show to know that the McConnell wing of the party is planning on staying home on Election Day out of protest.

Moreover, John McCain Republicans aren’t afraid to vote cross party in the election. The McCain wing of the party has an independent streak and is more committed to ideas than to the party. Again, bad news for McConnell. Everyone but the extreme right realizes that McConnell simply doesn’t represent Kentuckians and consistently fights against the best interest of those in our state in favor of big corporations.

(2) Energized Democratic Base

The Democratic base is energized like never before. Almost every caucus and primary that has been held to date has seen dramatic increases in Democratic voter turnout. Democrats are excited about both of the candidates left at the top of our ticket. And, no matter which one prevails, he or she will drive out the base this fall in record numbers.

While some people may be skeptical of the difference the strong base will make and point to recent polling that show Obama down by a wide margin to McCain in Kentucky, I would argue that doesn’t matter. First, if he is the nominee Obama will certainly close that gap significantly. Secondly, as long as our base comes out the Democrat at the top of the does not have to win Kentucky in order for us to beat McConnell. In short, our base will turn out, the McConnell base will not and the independent McCain voters will break in our favor.

(3 and Most Importantly) The Kentucky Grassroots/Netroots

The Kentucky grassroots and netroots are stronger than ever before. We stand on the brink of an important opportunity to usher in a changing of the old Kentucky guard. But, in order to do that we have to stand up, pick our candidate and fight like hell. Any less is a concession to McConnell and his corrupt, immoral leadership.

The grassroots of Kentucky has shown its power, and the best is yet to come. To date, The Nation ran a cover story on the grassroots power in Kentucky, the grassroots elected John Yarmuth, one of the most progressive Democrats in the country, to Congress and Mitch McConnell mentions the very visible grassroots movement (and its opposition to him) in every pathetic fundraising letter he sends out.

Next Steps!

The stars are lining up in our favor, folks. McConnell is raising insane amounts of money this cycle because he’s more aware than anyone of the trouble he’s in. Now, more than ever, it’s important that we look at our options and choose the fourth peg of our strategy: a strong, progressive Democratic candidate.

I mentioned yesterday that I like what Greg Fischer is saying and the strong network of support he is building across the state. I think he would be a great opponent and fighter who could make the most of this opportunity against McConnell. I hope you’ll give all the Democrats a good look and get behind one. The opportunity for new leadership for Kentucky is very real.

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Shawn Dixon February 13th, 2008

Over the past few days there have been some significant changes in the dynamic of the coming senate race in Kentucky. Most notably, Andrew Horne has decided not to continue with his bid for the nomination. Like most of you, I was saddened by Horne’s decision. A competitive primary with a diverse range of ideas is good for the party. From what I could tell, he brought a lot of new ideas into the race. He also had a strong base of progressive support from the grassroots and our blogosphere.

I , like many of you, am uncomfortable with the idea that Andrew Horne may have been muscled out of the race. That said, while we sometimes need a day off to reflect about these happenings and what all our hard work for a particular candidate has meant, that day was yesterday. Today is the day that the grassroots movement must re-energize itself and focus on the task at hand: defeating the most corrupt politician in America, Mitch McConnell.

During McConnell’s tenure, Kentucky has fallen to the bottom of nearly every national ranking with regards to citizen health, access to healthcare, education and economic opportunities. While one good paying job after another leaves the state and Kentuckians struggle to provide for their families, McConnell continues to look the other way. While many of Kentucky’s children go everyday without health insurance, McConnell consistently blocks bi-partisan legislation that would extend healthcare coverage to the young in our society who are forced to live without. And, he does all of this while voting to pump hundreds of billions of dollars into a senseless war that many of the most honorable Kentuckians among us are forced to fight.

Now, more than ever, we have to look at the candidates we have on the Democratic side and unite behind one. To bow out now, is to concede to defeat and allow McConnell and his corrupt corporate money to beat us before we ever get started. Having Horne forced out of the race is as strong of a reason as I have seen to begin fighting now more than ever.

The more I look at the field of candidates, the more I like what Greg Fischer has to say. Admittedly, don’t know too much about Fischer as he is a political newcomer, but this season I think that’s to his advantage. I had the chance to speak with Fischer over the past day or so and hear his stance on the issues and the coming race.

I think he gets it. He understands that Kentucky families are struggling and he expressed his support for a plan to provide universal healthcare to all Americans. He also believes that we should be getting out of Iraq as soon as and as safely as possible. That’s a strong contrast to the other side of the ticket which has expressed an open ended commitment of hundreds of billions of dollars and countless lives to a war that can only be won politically, not militarily.

On a note that is important to me personally — development in the more rural parts of our state — Fischer was able to talk about rural development in a way that few other candidates have. He understands that McConnell, with his influence as senate minority leader, has wasted an opportunity to develop infrastructure that would make our rural areas more competitive in a global economy.

And, very importantly, Fischer is committed to the race and has the resources to defeat McConnell.

I say all that to say this: Mitch McConnell is still very vulnerable in this election. His negatives are high and the influence of the candidates who will be at the top of the ticket for both parties make this a tough fight for him. (More analysis on that tomorrow) For the first time in his career, McConnell will be fighting an overwhelmingly independent voter base from both parties. That’s not good for him. While we stand poised as a nation to make history on the Presidential front, that doesn’t have to be the only storyline to come out of the 2008 election. The Kentucky grassroots movement is obligated to our fellow citizens to hold one of America’s greediest politicians to account, not give him a free pass.

The establishment in Kentucky didn’t build the grassroots movement. Don’t let the establishment be the one to dismantle it.

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Shawn Dixon January 14th, 2008

If you don’t think Mitch is doing a heckuva job, just ask him. Or, ask his friends over at Voter/Consumer Research who got to dress up as pollsters last week and run McConnell’s approval ratings up to 61%. But, as Terri pointed out and BGR first told us, McConnell of course commissioned the poll. They must have polled the heads of big oil company and big corporation executives in order to get their numbers over 50%. Both have every right to support Mitch McConnell because he delivers for corporations and big oil companies every day.

Kentuckians, of course, hold a different view. McConnell’s fight for tax breaks for big oil and against insurance for Kentucky’s poorest children is reflected in the latest poll numbers by Survery USA. Their polling has consistently shown that Mitch McConnell’s approval ratings fail to crack the 50% mark.

Such low polling is bad news for any incumbent. However, Mitch McConnell is not just any incumbent. He is an incumbent who has already spent a lot of his corporate campaign money to run campaign ads all throughout the state.

This is extremely bad news for McConnell. Even in the face of heavy spending, Mitch McConnell’s disapproval ratings are nearly as high approvals. Further, these numbers show that he barely beats Senator Jim Bunning in a popularity contest. That’s when you know it’s bad.

This, however, is very good news for Kentuckians. It shows that Kentuckians aren’t going to be bought and sold by the McConnell Money Machine this fall. Senator McConnell can break all the fundraising records he wants, but the message coming from Kentucky is clear: we want change.

No matter how he tries to re-invent himself over the next nine months and no matter how much money he throws to advertising, these numbers from Survey USA show us that Kentuckians are ready to hold McConnell accountable for his failed leadership.

Change is on the way.

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Shawn Dixon January 5th, 2008

Thanks for sticking with me and sharing in the experience of volunteering in Iowa. Being a part of the caucuses was an incredible experience. They are like nothing I’ve seen before. And, I, like everyone else, am incredibly excited about what happened in Iowa on Thursday night

No matter who goes on to win the nomination, that kind of unprecedented turnout is inspiring and shows that people are tired of the nasty politics of hate, fear and greed that George Bush and Mitch McConnell have presided over for the last seven years. I was right about one thing: you should take my Iowa predictions with a grain of salt. However, I will justify it by telling you that the county in which I canvassed, Wapello County, finished according to my predictions: Edwards win, Clinton second and Obama in third with about half as much support as Edwards. My microcosm just happened to not be representative of the rest of the state.

I’m still supporting Senator Edwards and I think he’s going to have a strong showing in New Hampshire. Yesterday was his biggest fundraising day of the campaign, he has overflow crowds today and because he’s the undisputed best debater of the pack he’ll have a strong showing in tonight’s debate. I’ve been inspired by his drive for change and impressed by his plan for universal healthcare and his plan to revitalize rural America. Both are substantive, progressive and achievable.

That said, I want to echo Jim Pence’s sentiment in saying that all of our candidates are fantastic – and I really mean that. When knocking on doors in Iowa I heard people say time and time again, “I’m undecided because all the Democrats are good this year.” I believe that is true and that is what is driving the incredible turnouts. I’ll happily and proudly support the Democratic nominee whoever he or she may be because they are all incredible advocates for change.

The Democrats are in great shape going into November because people are demanding change. And, as Matt pointed out, the effects of that will be felt in the Senate race in Kentucky. Iowa sent a signal that people are looking to be inspired and want change. The great news for Kentucky is that Andrew Horne fits that bill perfectly.

Thanks for all the well wishes during the trip!

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The Hound Dog January 3rd, 2008

This is the worst possible scenario for Mitch McConnell, With Barack Obama winning the Iowa caucuses, it is likely that McConnell’s plan to run on a strategy of tying his opponent to Hillary Clinton will no longer be available. Hal Rogers hinted on the plan earlier in the year:

The Democratic presidential nominee is likely to be Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., “and that will be good for us,” he said.

Good luck now, Mitch.

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Shawn Dixon January 3rd, 2008

Lots happening here in the final hours before the caucus and I’m typing this while making phone calls to likely caucus-goers so please excuse major grammar errors, sentences that make no sense, etc. But, I just wanted to give an update because it’s been an incredibly exciting week. I’m going to give it to you in bullet form.

Yesterday at 2:30 AM: Woke up and drove an hour to help work a 5 A.M. pancake breakfast event with John Edwards. The breakfast was in Centerville, Iowa at the home of a local couple. It was a huge success – I would guess there were over 50 local supporters. Also, while we were there, the Senator did an interview with Good Morning America. It was really interesting to see how that all worked. Being a part of the event and seeing the Senator going full steam ahead through the night made all the canvassing and the calls over the past few days really feel worthwhile.

7:00 AM. After the event in Centerville, we drove back to the Ottumwa office that I’m working out of for another event with the Senator. The Edwards bus actually beat me back to the Ottumwa office so I arrived at the event towards the tail end. Big crowd in Ottumwa too.

Later in the day we went back to canvassing with a little extra boost of energy from the morning events. There is a lot of energy around the campaign.

Caucus Day: I’m going to an actual caucus tonight. Caucuses are open to the public and media and observers are welcome. I’ve learned a lot about the system over the past four days and I’ve been surprised at what an interesting and somewhat complex process it is.

This is likely my last post until the caucus actually happens. I’ve had a great time and I’m really excited about seeing how everything plays out. Good luck to everyone and your candidate of choice.

PS: Thanks for the birthday wishes, everyone! It means a lot. It was an amazing birthday and the Edwards’s staff and volunteers even bought me a cake. Couldn’t think of a better way to spend the day.

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Shawn Dixon January 1st, 2008

Happy New Years from Iowa! It’s cold here. And I mean really cold. Who knew? Today, I’m going to be doing “get out the caucus work” outside. The forecast: high of 10 degrees with a wind chill of -20 and snow. Yesterday we were out doing door to door and we got about 4-6 inches of snow.

But, I know you aren’t reading for the weather report. Of course you know since I’m here working for Edwards this can be read with a grain of salt, but I am predicting and Edwards win. It’s great to be here on the ground because it’s a completely different ballgame and feeling from that which the media projects. The people here like John Edwards. They like his message, his genuine personality and that he hasn’t forgotten where he comes from.

Yesterday, while doing the door to door I went up to one house. A woman about 80 years old pulled the door open just enough to see me. She yelled “who you here for?” and I quickly replied, “Hi, ma’am I’m out today volunteering for John Edwards for President.” She immediately flung the door open and said, “well then get yourself in here out of the cold.” She then went on to tell me about her strong support for Edwards and how she has stopped opening the door for anyone but Edwards’s canvassers. After that, I got to see pictures of her whole family, complete with fun stories. Those are the kinds of visits that keep you going and make it all worthwhile.

However, I’d be misleading you if I didn’t tell you that the other candidates have strong support too. Without going into the analysis too much I will make the following prediction: on caucus night, the Dems will finish Edwards first, Clinton second and Obama a surprisingly distant third. Again, that should be taken with a grain of salt, because I’m only in one part of the state. But, if this town is any indicator of the rest of the state, I’m confident of that kind of finish.

This is my first Iowa prediction, so we’ll see how it goes.

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Shawn Dixon December 29th, 2007

Sorry for my lack of posts over the past few months. I may have started my first semester of law school with a somewhat naïve estimate of the amount of time it would require. But, finals are over and after spending some quality time at home in Western Kentucky for the holidays, I’m in Iowa today volunteering for the John Edwards campaign until the January 03, caucuses. I decided since Edwards took the time to come and visit us in Columbus, KY, I can give him a few days of my time in Iowa.

I’m working in a town called Ottumwa. It’s not that big of a place, but from what I can tell it has a population about the size of Paducah. Nice, small town feel. If you want to tune in, I am going to try to blog on DMKY every night about the day’s events and what it’s like on the ground in the days leading up to the caucus.

Obviously, I’m inside the bubble here, but I think Edwards has a lot of momentum heading into the final days. There is a lot of excitement around the campaign and he is drawing big crowds – often standing room only.

Anyway this race goes, it’s bad news for McConnell. All of the Dem choices for President are strong and no matter who is on the top of the ticket, Kentuckians won’t soon forget McConnell’s failed leadership.

Stay tuned.

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The Hound Dog December 21st, 2007

MediaCzech has an important post up at BlueGrassRoots that shows Bruce Lunsford gave a total of $10,000 to the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRSC) in 1997, at the same time Jim Bunning was setting up a campaign that would eventually defeat Democratic Congressman Scotty Baesler in one of the closest races in Senate history.

3/31/1997 NRSC $5000
6/10/1997 NRSC $2500
6/10/1997 NRSC $2500

Lunsford is still being mum on whether he will run for the Senate. But if he decides to run as a Democrat instead of a Republican, I’m sure Scotty Baesler will be one of many Democrats anxious to hear why…

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The Hound Dog December 17th, 2007

Bruce Lunsford’s camp told the press this week that he is considering running for the Senate, although he is not saying for sure which primary he may run in. However, with his past support for George W. Bush, Ernie Fletcher, and Mitch McConnell, it appears Lunsford’s chances are far better in the Republican primary. Immigration is the top issue right now among the Republican base, and McConnell failed to lead during the debate over immigration reform. Could $10 million worth of Lunsford ads attacking McConnell on immigration and Mitch’s support for casino gambling be enough for Lunsford to win the Republican nomination?

That remains to be seen, but one thing appears certain. Neither Lunsford nor McConnell will be inviting their good friend Ernie Fletcher back on the campaign trail for another round next year. BlueGrassRoots brings us this reminder:

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The Hound Dog December 15th, 2007

Harlan County, Kentucky native Rep. Louise Slaughter, who now represents New York in Congress has a personal interest at stake in stopping Mitch McConnell’s obstruction. She is taking the lead in exposing McConnell’s tactics in obstructing a bi-partisan bill against genetic discrimination that passed 420-3 in the House of Representatives:

GINA would prohibit insurers and employers from discriminating based solely on a person’s genetic information. No one is born with perfect genes and genetic discrimination is something that will affect every single person on the planet.

This bipartisan bill was passed in the House of Representatives earlier this year by a vote of 420-3 and was passed unanimously by the Senate in the 108th and 109th Congresses.

However, using arcane Senate rules, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn (R) has single-handedly been able to put a hold on the bill, not allowing a vote in the Senate this year.

We were able to circumvent Senator Coburn’s hold by getting GINA into the omnibus appropriations bill scheduled to be voted on next week by the full House and Senate.

However, in the negotiations right now and throughout the weekend, Senator Mitch McConnell is trying to remove the bill so it will not get an up or down vote next week, and will continue to be held hostage by Senator Tom Coburn and Senate rules.

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The Hound Dog December 14th, 2007

National pollster Celinda Lake published a piece today noting Mitch McConnell is extremely vulnerable to Lt. Col. Andrew Horne:

Recent polling shows Mitch McConnell facing real trouble in his 2008 re-election bid for the U.S. Senate. Even before ex-Marine Andrew Horne entered the race, McConnell was already in a precarious position, having grown increasingly unpopular among Kentucky voters. Now, with the entrance of Horne, this is shaping up to be one of the most competitive challenger races of the cycle.

After nearly a quarter century in the Senate, Mitch McConnell has left the voters of Kentucky looking for more. Just 45% of voters approve of the job McConnell is doing as Senator. A 46% plurality disapproves of McConnell’s job performance. McConnell’s close allegiance to Bush and a series of high-profile votes have put him at odds with public opinion. From his support for billions in taxpayer subsidies for Big Oil, trade deals that cost Americans’ jobs, to his opposition to veterans’ and children’s health care and the minimum, McConnell has cast himself firmly in the mold of the “Washington Insider,” dangerously out of touch with the constituents he purports to represent.

Well before Horne was an announced candidate, he already posed a serious threat to McConnell. In a trial heat between the long-serving Senator and the ex-Marine, Horne pulled within 11 points of McConnell and kept him under 50%. Horne drew 34% of the vote compared to 45% for McConnell, with 21% of voters undecided. Traditionally, undecided voters in a race involving an incumbent will break disproportionately toward the challenger; this is particularly true when the challenger, like Horne, has room to expand his profile among the electorate.

Lt. Col. Horne’s candidacy is not good news for McConnell. Especially when the media starts contrasting Lt. Col. Horne’s 27 years of service in the Marines to Mitch McConnell’s service that did not even last 27 days…

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The Hound Dog December 1st, 2007

One of Mitch McConnell’s leading supporters in eastern Kentucky, Knott County’s Republican Judge Executive Randy Thompson, was indicted today:

The indictment accuses Judge Thompson, Deputy Judge Executives Phillip Champion and Mac Combs, as well as Magistrate Ronnie Adams of conspiring together to pave private driveways and build more than ten bridges to connect private and public roads all in exchange to vote for Thompson in the November 2006 election. All four men pleaded not guilty to the charges and were released on their own recognizance. As part of the conditions of their release, the men must stay in Eastern Kentucky and must not have any contact with victims or possible witnesses in the case.

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Shawn Dixon November 19th, 2007

CQ Politics, which is a daily must read for Washington insiders, highlighted Mitch McConnell’s growing vulnerability in his re-election efforts for next year. What’s great about this article is that insider political news outlets tend to be very conservative with their political analysis and wouldn’t run a piece like this unless absolutely certain McConnell really is in serious trouble.

I encourage you to take a look at the article. It is a very comprehensive read and highlights why McConnell is vulnerable (failed leadership, unabashed support of War in Iraq, Bush’s biggest supporter), the growing Democratic tide in Kentucky (see Steve Beshear defeats McConnell Gov. nominee by 20 points) and the relative strengths of all the potential Democratic nominees (Luallen, Horne and Stumbo).

The AP (via CNN Political Ticker) also ran a story yesterday focusing on McConnell’s vulnerability. In it, McConnell’s own language suggests he knows he’s in trouble.

“I’m a bigger target, but I’m a pretty big boy,” McConnell said. “And I’ll tell you this, as I’ve said before, they throw a pebble at me, I’m going to throw a boulder back.”

Candidates don’t make statements like that unless they are expecting a serious fight and are trying to scare potential challengers. McConnell knows he is in for a close election and he’s sending a signal that he is willing to sling mud and use “swift boat” style tactics against his opponents. It’s quite funny to watch McConnell try to take early jabs at an opponent that isn’t even there yet.

• 2008 KY U.S. Senate Race , Mitch McConnell , Uncategorized
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Shawn Dixon November 4th, 2007

Proving that they are as politically inept as they are desperate, the Fletcher/Rudolph circus trotted out singer Pat Boone this weekend to stump on their behalf. Well, by telephone at least.

Trying to turn around their failing campaign at the last minute, the Fletcher/Rudolph team chose to spend the last days of the campaign ignoring the important issues that Kentuckians want to hear about like creating jobs, access to healthcare and improving education. Instead, they decided to crisscross the state talking about how proud they are to hate gay people.

To drive their message home, they had Boone, a Los Angeles resident, record an automated call which was made to 10,000 Kentuckians.

In case you weren’t one of the lucky recipients of the Californian’s call, Pat Boone wants you to know that evil Steve Beshear wants to treat gay and lesbian Kentuckians like real people. Listen to Pat Boone’s call here.

There are so many things wrong with this story, it’s hard to know where to begin.

First, it’s almost comical at this point that the Republicans haven’t figured out that gay bashing will no longer win them elections. And, as polls show that young people are increasingly supportive of equal rights for gays and lesbians, the issue will become more irrelevant, and eventually costly, for Republicans with each passing election cycle.

Second, Pat Boone is not from Kentucky. He was born in Jacksonville, Florida and lives in Los Angeles. Thanks, Ernie, but we don’t need your California friends calling us to talk about Kentucky values.

Lastly, Pat Boone is a complete whacko. If you don’t believe me, let Pat Boone tell you for himself by reading this “fairy tale” he wrote just two months ago. It’s sure to become an instant classic! In the story Boone attacks teachers as being part of the liberal machine designed to destroy America. Also, in Boone’s magical tale, a woman teacher turns Snow White into a lesbian and apparently gets her pregnant. (?)

Um, I’m not sure if Pat Boone has any kids, but if he does it’s a result of sheer-dumb-luck because apparently he doesn’t know how babies are made if he thinks that a lesbian teacher can get her female student pregnant.

Man, is it Tuesday yet? Two more days of these clowns running the mess in Frankfort is two too many.

Hat Tip: Pol Watchers

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Shawn Dixon October 28th, 2007

The good folks at WestKYPolitics just forwarded me an email that contained a media advisory from the Fletcher campaign.

If you want to see hypocrisy at its worst, it will be on display tomorrow in Louisville. Mitch McConnell and Ernie Fletcher will hold a campaign stunt at Kosair Children’s Hospital in Louisville.

The advisory doesn’t say why they are going. However, you can guess what they won’t be doing: offering to make healthcare more available to our state or the country’s poorest children.

This visit comes while Mitch McConnell continues to lead an effort against expanding the SCHIP program to cover 10 million uninsured and low income children in our country.

This kind of political theater is shameless. I hope someone at the hospital asks McConnell why he won’t vote to make healthcare available to those children in our country who need it the most.

For Immediate Release

October 28, 2007

Governor Ernie Fletcher and U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell to Visit Louisville’s Kosair Children’s Hospital TOMORROW

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Governor Ernie Fletcher and U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell will be in Louisville tomorrow afternoon to visit Kosair Children’s Hospital at 1:00 p.m. Kosair, which is located at 231 East Chestnut St., is Kentucky’s only free-standing, full- service pediatric care facility dedicated exclusively to caring for children.

WHO: Governor Ernie Fletcher and U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell

WHAT: Visit to Kosair Children’s Hospital

WHEN: TOMORROW, October 29, 2007, at 1:00 p.m. ET

WHERE: Kosair Children’s Hospital

231 East Chestnut St.

Louisville, KY

• Ernie Fletcher , Mitch McConnell , Uncategorized
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The Hound Dog October 7th, 2007

We’ll never know until Fletcher releases the names on the list. I certainly wouldn’t take their word for it….

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The Hound Dog October 2nd, 2007

A new independent report released today showed Kentucky’s voting system under Trey Grayson has “serious deficiencies.” After recent testing was conducted, the report makes it clear that immediate changes need to be made. The recommendations include:

* Improving protections against tampering and hacking of voting machines;
* Adopting security safeguards developed for California and Florida voters;
* Examining source code and software during testing procedures;
* Securing adequate funding for optical scan systems;
* Implementing random mandatory audits after each election; and
* Developing independent state expertise to reduce complete reliance on manufacturer support staff.

Does this guy seriously think he deserves four more years?

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The Hound Dog September 21st, 2007

The job prospects for Kentucky Republicans can’t look to bright these days. It looks like they won’t have Ernie Fletcher around to fire merit based employees any longer and they certainly won’t be regaining any Congressional seats. Now, it looks as if the top advisor to back-to-back loser Anne Northup is about to lose another job. Reports are the House Republican John Boehner wants Terry Carmack fired from his job as NRCC Political Director:

In a recent meeting in the Minority Leader’s office, Boehner told Cole that he was displeased at how the NRCC is being run. Republican sources say Boehner wants to replace Pete Kirkham, the NRCC’s executive director, and Terry Carmack, its political director, with more “aggressive” people with a more “realistic” view on next year’s elections, sources said.

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Joe Sonka September 11th, 2007

(crossposted at BlueGrassRoots)

I have officially launched a new fundraising page at Act Blue:

BlueGrassRoots: Let’s Ditch Mitch!

This page is within the well-known and well-respected Act Blue, and all funds will go to whoever wins the Democratic nomination in the 2008 senate race against Mitch McConnell. So whether your horse is Greg, Andrew, Ben, Crit or Charlie, the funds will all go to whoever Democrats decide should take on Mitch.

Feel free to click on the link and contribute. Mitch will have an absolute fortune to spend (such are the privileges of being a whore for corporate America), so we need to start fundraising early and often in order to be on a more level playing field.

We can beat Mitch McConnell. We will beat Mitch McConnell. Let’s start the fight right now.

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