Would Ashley Judd really have a chance against Mitch McConnell? I would have thought “no” but maybe she does:
Actress Ashley Judd hasn’t declared if she’ll challenge Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in next year’s Kentucky Senate race. But from the way Republicans are acting, they sound a little bit jumpy about the prospect of her campaign.
[….] [F]or an undeclared candidate whose liberal views make her candidacy vulnerable to attack, they’re doing an awful lot to dissuade her from running. Why not wait until she’s actually in the race before launching grade-A opposition research against her? Democrats believe that it’s a sign of how vulnerable McConnell is. Even his own polling, released in December, showed McConnell stuck at 47 percent against Judd, holding only a 4-point lead.
I’m not that keen on celebrities running for big-time political offices, but this one could be entertaining for a lot of reasons. It’s been a while since I’ve heard much about HOLLYWOOD LIBRULS outside of the Breitbartosphere and I’m curious to see if a glamorous movie star excites the same sexual pundit passions that John Thune and Sarah Palin did.
Should be a fun race, right?
Vico
Ashley Judd is hardly a movie starlet.
trollhattan
Maybe it’s projection on my part, but Ashley Judd always strikes me as having considerable substance and depth. Her running seems impossibly goofy, but so did Al Franken’s (although Minnesota is a far cry from Kentucky).
“Rand Paul, Senior Senator from Kentucky” should be a phrase that strikes dread in the hearts of decent people around the globe.
Linkmeister
From a Jan. 28, 2013 Louisville Courier-Journal article:
That would encourage me if I were the Dems in KY, and it would tell me I have work to do if I were the Rs there.
Doug Galt
@Vico: @Vico:
I was unclear on them meaning of that word, so I changed it. I thought it just meant glamorous female movie star but it seems to mean young female movie star.
Roger Moore
At least Judd isn’t just another person who thinks that success in their chosen field means they can walk into politics. She’s gone to the trouble of getting a masters at the Kennedy School, which says this isn’t just a passing fancy.
Llelldorin
Frankly, even if she doesn’t win, forcing the Republicans to pour money into defending a seat in Kentucky strikes me as a very good thing.
And if she DOES win we’d hit previously untapped veins of schadenfreude.
shortstop
Me, neither. None of them ever wants to start with the house; it’s always the senate or the presidency. (ETA: Or the governorship.)
However, this one knows something about policy and activism (as did Franken, who knew a lot), so fuck it. Make Mitch McConnell’s chins tremble with anger, fear and hurt feelings.
trollhattan
@Llelldorin:
Fracking can release tremendous amounts of Schadenfreude from retired comedy wellfields. You could look it up.
trollhattan
@shortstop:
Sonny Bono’s corpse is on line three.
Linkmeister
@Llelldorin: Not to mention gaining a younger Senator who might be around for a while (since Hawai’i just lost our two 80-year-old Senators, I’m sensitive to age in that body).
shortstop
@Doug Galt: I did not know that. I thought it meant “becoming recognizable but not yet a full-blown star.”
Roger Moore
@shortstop:
Celebrities here in California have occasionally been known to run for Governor before trying to move up the ladder.
shortstop
@trollhattan: Good point. I never thought of him as a bona fide celebrity at the time he ran, though — more like a pathetic has-been. Of course, there was also Fred Grandy, who was past public embarrassment at that point.
PeakVT
I have no idea if Judd could win, but I’m sure she would draw a tremendous amount of stupid, nasty, sexist remarks from the Repukes if she ran. So, maybe not so fun, unless you’re an outrage junkie.
danimal
I think she could win if a straight, non-reptilian libertarian were in the race to peel off 20% of McConnell’s voting base.
I’m not saying there is anything wrong with being non-straight or turtlish, just that KY voters may be looking for a different kind of conservative to represent them.
patrick II
It takes money to run for high office. Many of the liberal democrats with money are in show business. Many of them a very smart people. It would be wise of us to not have a ..but she’s not serious because she is in show business.. attitude.
shortstop
@PeakVT: She’s quite famously a very intelligent person, unlike another very pretty face, Scott Brown. So I’m sure the GOP won’t cast any aspersions to the contrary. I slay myself.
trollhattan
@shortstop:
Even when they were REALLY popular (no, really) he was basically “the short guy standing next to Cher.”
Scotius
@PeakVT:
And we all remember how well those nasty sexist remarks served the Republicans last November. She seems really smart so she must know what she is letting herself in for if she runs. That could explain why she still hasn’t thrown her hat in the ring.
Wag
@trollhattan:
I disagree. Getting rid of Senator McConnell would be more than worth it.
The next order of business would then be to make Senator Judd the Senior Senator by defeating Senator Paul in the next election
Maude
The site took my name away, but it is running fine. I have the new FF and Flash updates.
It could bork in a bit, but now it’s okay.
shortstop
@trollhattan: Right! With the high-pitched nasal voice!
Nathan
C’mon Doug…
If J.C. Watt, Steve Largent, Heath Shuler, Jack Kemp, Jim Bunning were all somehow smart/qualified enough, why the hell isn’t Ashley Judd?
Are House/Senate seats just reserved for himbos?
Have you seen some of the idiots that are currently sitting? She’d be worse?
I don’t really like her [mainly from her grandstanding during interviews after her husband won a big race] but I fail to see how she’s any less qualified to run than anybody else.
trollhattan
@Wag:
Gonna take stepping on a lot of heads, nomsayn?
trollhattan
@Maude:
What shall we call you? :-)
Wag
@trollhattan:
Turtle’s heads are pretty low to the ground.
shortstop
@Nathan:
Who said that? No one here!
Alex S.
I think it’s because Mitch McConnell is just fundamentally unpopular. He also barely defeated his opponent in 2008. Still, he’s safe from being primaried by his powerful position. And Kentucky is still safely republican. Rand Paul’s opponent should have run against McConnell, that would have been the best choice.
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
I know Hollywood celebrities can be incredibly vapid and self involved, but really, it’s hard to outdo McConnell when it comes to those two qualities.
Alex S.
Something else, isn’t she in the process of being divorced? I think this is going to hurt her.
askew
@trollhattan:
I’ve seen her give speeches on choice and other women’s issues plus a documentary in French/English on her work with UNICEF to help sex workers in Africa get tested for AIDS and use protection. Smart woman.
She stands zero chance of beating McConnell but if no big name Dem runs against him, she’ll make him spend a lot of money defending himself and the debates will be excellent viewing.
Suffern ACE
@Alex S.: Really? I thought the campaign against Rand was “Rand has wacky ideas and was a frat boy in college.” After the aquabuddha ad, his polls collapsed. Do you think McConnell would be undone by pranks he might have committed in college?
PeakVT
In other election news, Rep. Bruce Braley will run for Harkin’s seat. I hope to FSM that Steve King gets the Repuke nomination despite the efforts of Rove and his backers.
Narcissus
Why would she want to?
Maude
@trollhattan:
Anonymous? A beauty?
BC
One thing – Ashley is daughter of country singer Naomi Judd and sister to Wynonna, so she has a pedigree in that part of the country.
trollhattan
@askew:
Do you suppose he’d agree to debate her? That would seem awfully risky, even for somebody with as sparkling a personality as the turtle.
? Martin
Defend why that’s worse than Virginia Foxx or Paul Broun. Seriously – the bar to run for office (and win!) is exceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedingly low.
Robin G.
If she’s as/more likely to win than other Dems running for the seat, then God bless. Flipping the seat blue is top priority.
Seanly
What’s the problem with celebs running for office? I think debates & how much work they put into the campaign will show how serious they are about it. My personal take is that Ms Judd isn’t enough of a star to just ride her fame into office and would need to show she’s serious to win. And while some stars make gringe-worthy statements, we should welcome any folks who have the money & time to run for office.
shortstop
@Alex S.: Since McConnell divorced his first wife the same year he married his second, I’m guessing a Judd campaign would have no trouble dispatching that criticism of her personal life.
? Martin
@Alex S.: But her husband was a NASCAR driver, so that helps!
And she was a Starfleet officer, so she’s got to be quite smart.
DFS
Judd is wiiiiiild lefty, to the point where folks here might find some of her statements discomfiting, but she’s also authentically local, descended from country music royalty, married to auto racing royalty, and guaranteed to get boatloads of free fawning press from the non-Fox media.
Also, this all assumes that McConnell doesn’t get tea-partied in the primary, which last I checked was a distinct possibility. He hired Rand Paul’s campaign manager for his next run, which suggests he thinks he needs to shore his right flank against the crazies.
askew
@trollhattan:
He’d be raked over the coals for skipping the debates. He isn’t very popular in KY, so I don’t think he’d be able to get away with that.
If she gets in the race, she has to know that McConnell will throw the kitchen sink at her. The one question is if the Kentucky Democratic network sits on their hands and refuses to help her at all.
pseudonymous in nc
@Alex S.:
All signs point to it being pretty amicable. She’s clearly smart, although her speaking manner when she’s in Serious Mode has always grated on me for some reason.
If there’s an established Dem in KY that feels capable of taking on Yertle the Turtle in a full-on campaign, then he or she can step right up.
drkrick
They may be nervous, or the people booking the ads may be getting a commission making this a way to generate a little cash flow between busy seasons.
Her mom’s a big GOPer. I wonder if she would campaign for McConnell.
GregB
The predictions of the outcomes for 201`4 are way too early. If things keep heading in this direction with the GOP base getting ever more crazy and the establishment attacking that base who know what will happen.
All I can say is I hope they keep savaging each other and I can’t wait to see what the GOP base will say when Marco Rubio delivers the GOP SOTU response in Spanish.
Roger Moore
@? Martin:
Sorry, but he’s in Indy Car racing (3 time Indy 500 winner) not NASCAR, so I’m not sure how much that’s going to help. Open wheel racing is for faggy Eurotrash, not Real Americans(TM).
askew
@shortstop:
And isn’t there a persistent rumor that McConnell is gay?
I wouldn’t be surprised if she does. Naomi has been a pretty horrible mother to Ashley her whole life, by all accounts. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her do this.
Ash Can
I don’t see why she shouldn’t run, if she can do it without bankrupting herself. Whether her intelligence can translate into political competence, I don’t know, but I’d rather see her try than see Mitch McConnell serve another term. At the very least, she can make McConnell and his backers burn through more cash than they would otherwise.
Kip the Wonder Rat
@BC: Yeah, that helped the Dixie Chicks…
? Martin
@Roger Moore: He drove NASCAR in 2008 for Chip Ganassi. Not a remarkable NASCAR career, but he was there.
Dan in Pittsburgh
From Ashley’s official website: Ashley is a graduate of the University of Kentucky. She completed a major in French, and minors in Anthropology, Art History, Theater, and Women’s Studies. She also graduated from UK’s Honor’s Program. In 2009, she fulfilled her dream of going to graduate school. The Thursday prior to her husband winning the Indy 500 again, she graduated from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government with an MPA. Amongst other achievements at Harvard, she was awarded the Dean’s Scholar Award for her work in the Harvard Law class, Gender Violence: Law and Social Justice.
TheMightyTrowel
@askew:
There is now.
Higgs Boson's Mate
@DFS:
Is it safe to say that in any case hilarity will ensue?
trollhattan
@askew:
Interesting! I’m utterly ignorant of the state’s internal poly-ticks so can only hope there’s a legitimate Dem challenge to the vile turtle, whether Ms Judd or any other viable biped.
I still can’t believe that punk Rand Paul was elected. He’s a smarmy little prick with an invitingly punchable neck (to use the Coleism). As he climbs the committee ranks, his brand of snake oil will affect us all.
drkrick
@Dan in Pittsburgh:
Pretty good weekend. And Monday off, too!
J.D. Rhoades
I didn’t even now she was thinking of running until I saw Rove attacking her.
Thanks, Karl! You’ve made her a national figure!
J.D. Rhoades
@Dan in Pittsburgh:
Now THAT’s hot.
Scotius
@askew:
Not that there’s anything wrong with that. /Seinfeld
joes527
@Scotius: Two words: Kentucky.
cathyx
I don’t care if she’s a celebrity or not. All that matters is that she votes as a liberal.
bemused
@Dan in Pittsburgh:
Isn’t that much learnin’ foolishness a negative for a lot of KY voters?
Napoleon
@? Martin:
No, he started in CART/Champcar when he came over here then moved to Indycar/IRL, both top level open wheel formulas on this side of the pond.
/s bigtimeopenwheelracingfan
Scotius
@joes527:
Good point.
Napoleon
@? Martin:
Oh yeah, he did spend that one year in NECKCAR – had forgot that.
feebog
One teeny problem, which the Rove hit piece pointed out; She may have roots in Kentucky but she lives in Tennesse. If she does plan on running she needs to set up residency in Kentucky and soon. Otherwise the carpetbagger tag is going to hurt.
Ohmmade
Tea party and Rove will dump millions splitting the vote and Judd can sweep up.
She has depth and education and common sense that people have and will continue to identify with.
geg6
@drkrick:
I remember seeing a show Ms. Judd was on (I think it was a “find your ancestors” type of show) that mentioned that she and her mom and sister aren’t on the best of terms. But it’s not about politics, but Ashley’s close relationship with her father, which her mother apparently does not like. I think the sister and the mom are more than a little tetched, as my southern Ohio relatives used to put it.
From what I understand, Ashley Judd is a pretty smart cookie, what with being Phi Beta Kappa and having a Master’s in Public Administration from the Kennedy School at Harvard. I like her very much.
Southern Beale
My husband is from Kentucky. I asked my mother in law, who lives in a small town outside of Paducah, if she thought Ashley Judd would have a chance against McConnell and she said yes. Because Ashley Judd is really associated with UK basketball, and people in Kentucky are big college basketball fans. Judd is one of the most public supporters of the UK basketball team there is.
So education and poise and experience aside, it really comes down to something that stupid.
Southern Beale
@geg6:
Well, Naomi Judd was one of the headliners at an NRDC anti-mountaintop removal concert at the Ryman a couple years ago. She isn’t that crazy. Wynonna isn’t that crazy either, though I did get tired of her frequent appearances on Oprah crying about being overweight. Deal with it, don’t, I really don’t care.
But she’s got a phenomenal voice. You gotta give her that.
Southern Beale
@feebog:
LOL. Yeah, don’t think you’re really a “Carpetbagger” if you move from Tennessee to Kentucky. But yes, you’re correct, she lives south of Nashville near her mom and sister. She may have property in Kentucky though, I don’t know.
She should move to Kentucky and establish herself in some kind of public way there.
Phoenician in a time of Romans
PeakVT Says:
I have no idea if Judd could win, but I’m sure she would draw a tremendous amount of stupid, nasty, sexist remarks from the Repukes if she ran.
If I recall correctly, she’s been topless in “Norma Jean and Marilyn”. I suspect (but I’m not going to go looking on a work computer) that she’s appeared in nude scenes in other movies.
If you think the slut-shaming of Sandra Fluke was tasteless, try to imagine how the mouth-breathers are going to use actual pictures of Judd’s actual naughty bits to express their inner selves.
taylormattd
My friend Katherine over at the Burnt Orange Report penned a (partially) tongue in cheek post advocating that Beyonce run for governor of Texas.
Now *that* is entertainment right there.
Edit: and by the way, regarding Ms. Judd, I say go for it. I mean for god’s sake, we are talking about Kentucky. If she causes these people to have to spend a touch of money there, that’s a win.
gelfling545
@Doug Galt: Young, female and rather insubstantial in talent or intellect, generally.
bemused
@Phoenician in a time of Romans:
For some crazy reason, I think there would have been very little slut-shaming of Palin if topless photos of her had surfaced.
eldorado
@Doug Galt: ruby in paradise is a pretty super, if low-key, film with her. you might enjoy it.
Bill Arnold
@shortstop:
Can’t help wondering where starlets are on a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.
shortstop
@Southern Beale: There aren’t that many small towns outside of Paducah. We are probably distantly related.
@Bill Arnold: Ha!
Roger Moore
@? Martin:
Oh, so he’s faggy Eurotrash who couldn’t hack NASCAR.
burnspbesq
@askew:
I seem to remember a time when the CW was that Norm Coleman was invulnerable.
Redshirt
This is all part of Wil Wheaton’s master plan, FYI!
? Martin
@Napoleon: And I’m saying he drove NASCAR for a season – 10 races.
/s hasn’tmissedaf1racein20yearsandalexgurneyandcharliekimballarefamilyfriends
? Martin
@Roger Moore:
I think even rednecks would have to dispute the ‘faggy’ label, given who his wife is.
Trollhattan
@? Martin:
Regardless of what the goobers may think (assumes facts not in evidence, you honor) he has a rather good life, avec or sans Ashley.
http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/tg-meets-dario-2011-06-28?imageNo=1
General Stuck
I can remember Ashley in several early movies in her career, and even then she put out a self contained leader vibe that would serve her well in politics. Along with a closers attitude. And an acid demeanor when she is pissed off about something. Hollywood Starlet? not like most of them . You can watch her behaving very un lady like as a rabid KY b ball fan n the stands. And rooting for her NASCAR hubby at the racetrack. Did I mention NASCAR, Mr. Rove?
Cluttered Mind
@askew:
The what?
General Stuck
@burnspbesq:
No shit. Beat by a professional comedian. That must have smarted some.
Cluttered Mind
@burnspbesq: It’s worth mentioning that Al Franken beat Norm Coleman by a tiny, tiny margin that permitted Coleman to bog him down in nearly 6 months of recounts. He wasn’t invulnerable, but Coleman is not exactly in the same intellectual or political weight class as Al Franken, and he still managed to hold him to basically a tie. Sometimes the CW is closer to right than others.
ranchandsyrup
She’s the only reason to watch kentucky wildcat basketball.
Zandar
I’m even less keen on having Mitch McConnell as my fucking Senator, so since my opinion on this actually counts, I’m going with that.
shortstop
@ranchandsyrup: That and my mother will freak out if you don’t. “You” being “me,” of course. You can probably get away with skipping it.
Roger Moore
@? Martin:
Sorry, but open wheel racers are automatically in the faggy Eurotrash group no matter who they’re married to.
pseudonymous in nc
@Cluttered Mind:
Dean Barkley, the Independence Party candidate, got 15% of the vote in that election — the scrag-end of the decade or so of Reform stuff in MN. If there’s a third-party candidacy in KY, I imagine it would be some kind of Libertarian/Constitution thing.
aaangus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wp2cmL-gEM
ranchandsyrup
@shortstop: I’m a few generations from any family living in Kentucky but they were Louisville people. Im immune to the charms of the Cats but Ms. Judd is purty.
How big of a freak out? Does she make you Skype her to verify you’re watching?
aaangus
This is my new E-mail, live with it!!
aaangus
Please!
EDIT BY Soonergrunt: Well, since you were so polite…
? Martin
@Roger Moore: Well, I suppose he does look a little like Sacha Baron Cohen.
maya
Here comes the Judd,
Here comes the Judd.
The Senate’s in session,
Now here comes the Judd.
Ray
Had never seen one of her movies, not entirely sure I had ever heard of her, but she came to our little town this past election cycle for a HQ rally. So I had a chance to meet her. Very smart, gives very good speech, has serious home state cred and knows how to work a crowd;in general seems quite substantial and being SEC basketball fan works for me. (Would prefer she liked Vanderbilt) A Senate run in a middling sized state like Kentucky seems more than plausible.
shortstop
@ranchandsyrup: I once sang the Tennessee fight song in her kitchen just to see what she’d do. The joke was on me when she promptly announced I’d be financing my entire college education on my own and furthermore was never invited to Thanksgiving dinner ever until the end of time. No, but really, she’s so weird about it. She also likes to tell people she and Ashley were both Alpha Gams at UK, which is true, but who’d want people to know that?
ranchandsyrup
@shortstop: Rocky Top is a pretty good fight song.
As my mom gets older I have been noticing that she’s getting uncomfortable with silence. She fills up the silence with all sorts of extraneous info put on repeat.
shortstop
@ranchandsyrup: The repetitive stuff doesn’t really bother me, but in the last year she’s taken to using ambiguous pronouns. The conversation always has to stop for a minute while I untangle the references.
ranchandsyrup
@shortstop: I know exactly what you mean. My mom does the same thing. I don’t think she can hear as well any more and she’s trying to mask it.
MCA1
@feebog: Wait, one can be tagged a carpetbagger by living in the South, then moving back home to a Union state to run for office? I would think that in Kentucky, in the running for most redneck, neo-confederate state north of the Mason-Dixon line, living in Nashville would give one street cred. Plus, she’s Superfan No. 1 of UK hoops, which should act as a decent innoculation against charges of outsiderism.
Anyway, count me in with those who would love to see McConnell in a high profile battle to keep his seat, with the symbolism of the Minority Leader possibly going down echoing throughout the electoral landscape. I’m not a huge fan of Judd – she’s smart and a tough cookie, but something in the way she talks, and her microphone and camera hogging, sometimes rub me the wrong way. But if she’s the one who can push him, I’m all for it. If nothing else, she doesn’t seem like one who, if given the stage of a Senatorial race, would take on McConnell on his own, don’t say anything of real substance or show any emotion, terms. Flash a little anger or righteous indignation at his illogic and call him on it, and that might play to her benefit and attract more attention to the race. No one else has really challenged the guy in years and it might fluster an otherwise (for all the flak he gets in these parts) smooth operator who clearly knows how to win in politics.
Either way, the more chances we get to say “It’s chins all the way down” during election season, the better.
David in NY
Hollywood’s often tried to mix
Show business with politics,
From Helen Gahagan
To Ronald Reagan(?),
But Mister Murphy is the star
Who’s done the best by far.
Oh gee, it’s great,
At last we’ve got a senator who can
Really sing and dance!
***
Tom Lehrer, “George Murphy”
AfGuy
@feebog: Ashley’s a fixture on the front rows at UK basketball games. In Ky, UK basketball is the state religion. People are buried wearing their UK baseball caps here.
J R in W Va
@gelfling545:
None of that applies to Ms Judd in any way; she’s well educated, active, smart AND beautiful. And talented.
I’ll rent an apartment in Lexington for long enough to vote for her, if she has any chance of beating Mitch, who is one of the most hated pols; and Spouse is an experienced political observer.
rikyrah
Judd is an 8th generation Kentuckian.
IF she’s willing to do the grunt work of going to all those hick ass towns, and pressing the flesh…
I think she could be competitive.
tommy
Doug, extra points for the Bobby McGee reference.
David Koch
where do I contribute?
Southern Beale
George W. Bush’s horrifying hobby.
Dude gets weirder and weirder.
Paul in KY
@burnspbesq: She’ll have an uphill battle, that’s for sure. Sen. Mutant Turtle has never lost a race. He was Jeff County Judge Exec way back when & gets a better share of vote from there than a Repub would normally get. Add that to his 70% numbers up in N. Kentucky & he is very hard to beat.
Paul in KY
@ranchandsyrup: My mom is the same way :-)
Avedon
@pseudonymous in nc: You forget, the Democratic Party thinks that running a serious campaign in a red state means running Harold Ford. (Because, you know, he’s so popular down there.)
Ba'al
“I’m not that keen on celebrities running for big-time political offices”
A bit condescending, especially in this case. Ashely Judd is uncommonly well informed, and McConnell is one of the most odious humans alive.
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