If Mitch McConnell played poker the way he runs his campaigns, he’d go all-in on every hand. Fresh from chasing Ashley Judd out of the race, McConnell is hitting a Tea Party candidaate about some tax issues at his family company in Connecticut (tax dodger and carpetbagger, a two-fer) a day before that candidate even announces. Unfortunately for Mitch, his challenger, Matt Bevin, is a millionaire who is already buying TV time in Kentucky.
One thing about the Republicans in my neck of the woods is that they save their really dirty campaigning for the last few weeks of the campaign, since their opponent has little time to rebut the (usually at least somewhat false) charges. Either Mitch has a lot more on Bevin, or nerves are causing his campaign to ejaculate prematurely.
Patricia Kayden
Whichever Repub wins that Senate seat makes no difference. McConnell is as T’Baggery as ever. I can’t see Bevin being any worst.
Bobby Thomson
Just defining him early. Like Mr. 47%.
Botsplainer
Nerves are affecting him. I’ve got a longtime friend who is deeply involved in the Louisville faction of teatards. We don’t mention politics, but he alluded to this months ago.
They can’t win, but they can wound him in service of purity.
Shakezula
Curse you unto the 12th generation for that mental image.
Spending money because you think someone is going to challenge you suggests nerves or a bottomless well of cash. And I am betting we’ll find the tax issue involves Blevin taking advantage of the many tax dodges the GOP has created for the Haves.
Betty Cracker
John Oliver referred to McConnell as the “Senior Senatortoise” the other day. I am so stealing that forever.
Keith
Turtleman – LIVE ACTION!
LittlePig
Curse you unto the 12th generation for that mental image.
Amen. No quieren box turtle bukkake!
maximiliano furtive, formerly known as dr. bloor
I don’t think pre-emptive well-poisoning is all that desperate a strategy. Damage the goods before they come out of the gate, so everyone thinks “carpetbagger” rather than “fresh face” when he makes the announcement.
Although I would guess that “tax cheat” will be seen as a feature rather than a bug by many in RandLand.
MattF
There’s a need to get McConnell’s ‘turtle’ problem out of the closet, e.g.,:
http://thebigslice.org/breaking-news-senator-mitch-mcconnell-hospitalized-with-rare-turtle-disease/
askew
@Patricia Kayden:
There’s actually a decent chance that the Dem running for the Senate seat, Allison Grimes, can beat McConnell. She’s been polling close to him and McConnell is not liked in the state at all.
gelfling545
Tax dodging? I thought the Republicans were all about that!
Villago Delenda Est
I am enjoying Yertl’s suffering VERY much. Too much, perhaps. I’m rooting for even more suffering.
Writhe in pain, asshole. Writhe.
slag
Jesus Fucking Christ, some of us haven’t had our breakfast yet. Is mere innuendo just not good enough for you people anymore?
Alex S.
Mitch McConnell is such a nasty piece of shit. He effectively broke Congress with his abuse of the cloture vote. Anyone is better than him, even a nutjob – because the nutjob would make it clear where the problem lies. Try telling the general public about the legislative process and why it hurts the country – most of the people won’t understand or don’t care. McConnell hides his fanatism behind a veil of procedural rules. He should be even less popular then he is now, his job approval rating is about 35%? It should be as high as the approval rating of Congress which is about 10% or so. Even John Boehner is a better guy, he would LOVE to strike deals and then have a drink with the other congressional leaders, but McConnell is dedicated to bring the country down in the small hope of becoming majority leader which he isn’t.
Bobby Thomson
@maximiliano furtive, formerly known as dr. bloor: This.
Roger Moore
@Shakezula:
It’s nerves. It seems pretty obvious that people are sensing weakness in McConnell, which is why they’re challenging him. He doesn’t want to have to fight off a whole horde of challengers, so he’s trying to prove how tough he is so they’ll go back to being too scared to try.
Zugzwang
McConnell has been able to coast to re-election for so long that he’s terrified of having to actually deal with competition as he becomes less liked across the state, so for the last few elections, he’s adopted the strategy of sliding with his cleats up.
Shrillhouse
I hope that Bevin pushes out McConnell, and then proceeds to run a campaign that will make the GOP long for the good old days of solid candidates like Sharron Angle, Christine O’Donnell, and The Chicken Lady.
StringOnAStick
Yertle is a weakened opponent throwing crazy haymakers at anyone he perceives as a threat; this is not a sign of strength by any means. Makes me wish I hadn’t given up eating popcorn.
FlipYrWhig
@Shrillhouse: that’s what a lot of us thought would happen when Rand Paul beat Trey Grayson. Then we ended up with Senator Paul.
rikyrah
hope somebody at BJ notices this:
Inside Groundswell: Read the Memos of the New Right-Wing Strategy Group Planning a “30 Front War”
Ginni Thomas, Allen West, and a crew of conservative activists and journalists have formed a hush-hush coalition to battle progressivesâand Karl Rove.
By David Corn| Thu Jul. 25, 2013 9:53 AM PDT
Believing they are losing the messaging war with progressives, a group of prominent conservatives in Washingtonâincluding the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and journalists from Breitbart News and the Washington Examinerâhas been meeting privately since early this year to concoct talking points, coordinate messaging, and hatch plans for “a 30 front war seeking to fundamentally transform the nation,” according to documents obtained by Mother Jones.
Dubbed Groundswell, this coalition convenes weekly in the offices of Judicial Watch, the conservative legal watchdog group. During these hush-hush sessions and through a Google group, the members of Groundswellâincluding aides to congressional Republicansâcook up battle plans for their ongoing fights against the Obama administration, congressional Democrats, progressive outfits, and the Republican establishment and “clueless” GOP congressional leaders. They devise strategies for killing immigration reform, hyping the Benghazi controversy, and countering the impression that the GOP exploits racism. And the Groundswell gang is mounting a behind-the-scenes organized effort to eradicate the outsize influence of GOP ĂŒber-strategist/pundit Karl Rove within Republican and conservative ranks.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/07/groundswell-rightwing-group-ginni-thomas
Phil Perspective
@Botsplainer: Why can’t Bevin win? Yurtle the Turtle’s protege went down in flames in ’10.
MattF
@rikyrah: Alan West, Ginni Thomas, Zombie-Breitbart, Washington Examiner. I can see why it has to be hush-hush, otherwise someone would call the police. Not to say that I would disagree wrt the ‘cluelessness’ of Repub congressional leaders, though.
jake the snake
I have seen an ad by the Senate Majority Coalition or some such like attacking McConnell.
Is this a Tea Party group or a Democratic Party group? It might not hurt to pile on
from the left while Mitch is being attacked from the right. McConnell has a ton of money, but
the more he spends on fight off a Primary attack, the less he will have for the General.
Primigenius
We’d be able to restore the topsoil lost during the Great Dust Bowl of the 30s with the mud Mitch will sling between now and November 2014. He is completely without shame or scruple (and thus the perfect poster boy for the Grand Old Party).
Paul in KY
@askew: Hopefully this rich teatard can wound him with some kickass ads. Ms. Grimes has got to campaign very hard in Northern Kentucky (which usually goes for McConnell 65 – 35). She also has to beat him in Louisville like Democrats usually beat Repubs there.
McConnell was Judge Exec & Alderman many years ago & is well thought of by people who would usually vote Democratic.
She’s got a Hell of a task (IMO).