.
.
Fun (for Democrats) reading — TNR‘s Alec MacGillis explores the politic currents in the “united we stand, divided we fall” state:
“MAYFIELD, Ky. – That Mitch McConnell really does have a reelection fight on his hands was apparent to me even before I got to Fancy Farm, the glorious western Kentucky combo of county fair and old-fashioned political hoedown. I could tell it as soon as I stepped inside the community center in Calvert City that was hosting the local GOP warm-up event on Friday night, the evening prior. If the room had been any more low energy, they might’ve had to bring in one of those wind turbines that people like to scorn in coal country, just to keep the electrons flowing. A very elderly man with a shirt in the design of the Stars-and-Stripes hunched over a small boom-box blaring some patriotic fife-and-drums and a sound system that kept screeching feedback. A few dozen fellow seniors inched down the buffet table. There was a good explanation for the low mood: the beloved county party chairman was seriously ailing at the hospital in Nashville, two hours away.
But there was also a distinct lack of excitement about the man of the hour, who was on the schedule to appear but had left late from Washington. Misti Drew, a GOP county commissioner, gave a more candid answer than I expected when I sought her appraisal of McConnell’s reelection prospects: “Alison is going to give us a good challenge, and our challenge is to connect with the voters in a way that’s more charismatic.”
A minute later came a reminder that Alison Lundergan Grimes, McConnell’s Democratic challenger, is not the only person McConnell needs to worry about. Lingering in the room was David Adams, a conservative activist who ran the stunning primary campaign of Rand Paul in 2010, and who, while not yet formally involved in this year’s race, predicted that McConnell would meet the same fate from his own Tea Party challenger, businessman Matt Bevin, even if McConnell had done his best to co-opt Paul and his followers, in part by hiring as his campaign manager Jesse Benton, who replaced Adams for Paul’s general election push. “Mitch McConnell needs to retire,” Adams said, matter-of-factly. “And he needs to do it before the primary so he doesn’t get embarrassed.”
Mitch McConnell is not going to retire, because he is this close to achieving his dream of becoming Majority Leader of the United States Senate. But he is facing a serious challenge back in his home state, enough so for some prognosticators to now judge his race a toss-up. This challenge is being described in many accounts as a left-right vise, with Grimes on one side and Bevin on the other. Which technically it is. But the challenge is so formidable because both the Democrats and the Tea Party cohort in Kentucky are hitting McConnell on the same weak spot: scorning him as a little-loved Washington creature (29 years and counting) who is out only for himself. What struck me over the weekend was how relentlessly, almost giddily, this line of attack was being delivered from both sides, with a bravado that suggested little fear of McConnell’s vaunted political artillery, and quite a lot of confidence in his vulnerability….
(Cartoon: Joel Pett via GoComics.com)
RobertDSC-Power Mac G5 Dual
He’s the chief domestic terrorist.
Kay
I love upsets.
Why aren’t they mad at Rand Paul for not saving their jobs at the power plant? Why just anger at the turtle?
It’s like they know he’s too good for this world, Rand-too pure for such base wheeling and dealing.
JoyceH
I’m showing off my puppy again –
http://joyceharmon.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/latest-news-from-jazzyland/
Scamp Dog
@JoyceH: What a sweet puppy! I haz a jealous.
BruceJ
” A very elderly man with a shirt in the design of the Stars-and-Stripes ”
Does anyone else remember when all the conservatives went absolutely apeshit over Abbie Hoffmann and his flag shirt?
tratclif
Americans for Prosperity was running “Mitch has stayed too long” ads on the Louisville NBC station during the news hour a month ago. Bevins has the support of at least one bunch of plutocrats.
chromeagnomen
@BruceJ:
i remember it well (aging hippie). at least we can be sure this elderly gentleman is not abbie. (more’s the pity)
Corner Stone
Amusing. You have a remedy, honey.
Mike in NC
The turtleman is such a worthless sack of shit. Next to him, hacks like Trent Lott and Bob Dole are statesmen.
Spaghetti Lee
Should the Democrats lose the Senate in 2014, but McConnell loses to Bevin or Grimes before he can become majority leader, it would be…well, it wouldn’t be worth it, but it would be funny.
Roger Moore
@Kay:
Because Yertle is the one up for reelection next, not Aqua Buddha. By the time Ayn Rand Paul is up for reelection, there will be a whole new set of things to be upset about.
Long Tooth
I’m not surprised at McConnell’s predicament. Recall Lugar was torpedoed by republican zealots. Lugar! If he can be had, why not McConnell? T-Baggers take scalps, I’ll give them that.
Still, they’re just a tribe within the republican party. And the western branch of that tribe first began taking inter-party scalps in California, over 30 years ago (circa 1980).
By far and away, it is the primary reason why California is today a blue state.
Roger Moore
I don’t think so. The main reason California is a blue state is demographics. It’s really hard for the white people party to stay in power when whites are no longer a majority.
Spaghetti Lee
Hilariously enough, I’m seeing a pro-turtle anti-Bevin ad now, the charge being that Bevin ‘doesn’t pay taxes.’ But I thought taxes were TEH EBBIL and people who didn’t pay them were HEROIC JERB CRATERS. Jeez, Mitch, it’s a new game out there. Better step it up.
SFAW
I am waiting, breathlessly, for the all-but-certain victory of Alison Lundergan Grimes, so that she can take her place in the Senate alongside four-term incumbent Senator Harvey Gantt
SRW1
“… our challenge is to connect with the voters in a way that’s more charismatic.”
Oh my, oh my, oh my. My daughter has a real turtle and Ditch the Mitch comes nowhere near it in terms of exuding charisma.
I thought the teahadists might once again blow the GOP’s chances at taking over the Senate, this time by kniving Collins in a primary. Looks like they might indeed do the deed, but with Mitch’s head on their pikes.
Yatsuno
@Roger Moore: The Republicans did a fairly decent job shooting themselves in the foot with Prop 187 as well. It pretty much solidified their minority status.
@Spaghetti Lee: He was flailing when he thought Ashley Judd might be his opponent. He’s vulnerable an he knows it.
agorabum
@Roger Moore: Sure, but the California Republican party choose to become the white people party. They, and Wilson, embraced prop 187, which never even went into effect due to constitutional challenges. So it was all for nothing, and earned the enmity of the latinos.
The other big factor was the safe districting, which let the inland / conservative district republicans ‘safely’ rage against the minorities, gays, liberals, etc. Then when the sentiments (and demographics) changed, they lost their seat (and now the dems have a super majority)
mdblanche
Looks like some skulduggery from the 2012 primaries could be a headache for the Yertle campaign:
Unfortunately Yertle’s headaches may become headaches for the rest of us too.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Roger Moore: That and Pete Wilson.
SFAW
@BillinGlendaleCA:
I didn’t think the Beach Boys had that much pull, electorally.
Paul in KY
@Spaghetti Lee: Wonder if he would consider it ironic?
Paul in KY
@SFAW: She has a real uphill battle. No shit there.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@BruceJ: Does anyone else remember when all the conservatives went absolutely apeshit over Abbie Hoffmann and his flag shirt?
That was back in the old days when conservatives were actual vets and not all chickenhawks.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Roger Moore: I don’t think so. The main reason California is a blue state is demographics. It’s really hard for the white people party to stay in power when whites are no longer a majority.
From what I’ve seen the Cal GOP’s platform is so teatardist even the Corporate cons I work with can’t stomach it. It’s even harder to be the white people’s party when most of the white people don’t like you. With Schwarzeneggerr the Cal Teatards pretty much taught the Cal conservatives that no one on the right who’s electable will be allowed to run.
SFAW
@Paul in KY:
You know the area better than I do, but I’m guessing that, unless he’s “found with a dead girl or a live boy,” it’ll be Senator Bevin, come January 2015.
And frankly, given how fucked-up the South has become, I’m guessing none of those “surprises,” nor being found with a bomb-vest, a highlighted copy of the Quran, and “The Collected Works of Ayman al-Zawahiri” would not disqualify Bevin. But then again, maybe I’m just being cynical.
Paul in KY
@SFAW: I’m pretty sure the Senatortise will smack down Mr. Bevins. He will drown him in a sea of tortosludge. The more money Mitch has to spend there, the less against Ms. Grimes.
In the end, I expect McConnell will win (fuck).
SFAW
@Paul in KY:
As before, I’ll defer to your experience/expertise, but I think he’s more vulnerable than Bevin when running against Grimes. The way I see it, enough people in KY think he’s useless that she stands a chance. Against Bevin, all the crazies and (theoretically) non-crazy Rethugs will go for Bevin, rather than stay home.
And, no, I don’t believe that the Teahadist brand of insanity is toxic in KY, or TN, or GA, or MS, or AL, or TX, or …..
Paul in KY
@SFAW: The only thing Bevins would have going for him in the General would be that ‘R’ after his name (and that’s a big thing to have, you can ask Aqua Buddha about that). Bevins has never ran a statewide race & would have less name recognition than Ms. Grimes. Also, since, he’s a teapartyier, I guess he’s even crazier than Mitch in his beliefs/positions.
Uphill for Ms. Grimes either way, but I think she’d rather run against Bevins in General.
SFAW
@Paul in KY:
OK, I’ll keep my fingers crossed either way. Or both ways. Or whatever.
burnspbesq
@Kay:
FWIW, it’s not a power plant, it’s a facility that manufactures fuel for nuclear reactors, which has been run in blatant disregard of safety standards for the better part of 60 years. The entire town of Paducah should be declared a Superfund site. Mother Jones ran a great article on this a few weeks ago.
burnspbesq
I’m just not buying McGillis’ analysis, as much as I’d like to.
Grimes has no more chance of beating McConnell than Christian Laettner (who continues to be the most hated man in Kentucky, 21 years after the blessed event) would.