Jack Conway Gets Mail

Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli has written to the Attorneys General of the other states, requesting their help on the "Repeal Amendment."

The Repeal Amendment would amend the U.S. Constitution. It is an attempt by self-described modern-day Federalists to restored limited government.

According to Cuccinelli's letter, the text of the amendment provides:

"Any provision of law or regulation of the United States may be repealed by the several states, and such repeal shall be effective when the legislatures of two-thirds of the several states approve resolutions for this purpose that particularly describe the same provision or provisions of law or regulations to be repealed."\

Cuccinelli says that he has ten of the 38 states needed to amend the U.S. Constitution. He asks state Attorneys General who will sign on to the plan to join him in a press conference December 15.

Randy Barnett explains how the amendment would work:

At present, the only way for states to contest a federal law or regulation is to bring a constitutional challenge in federal court or seek an amendment to the Constitution. A state repeal power provides a targeted way to reverse particular congressional acts and administrative regulations without relying on federal judges or permanently amending the text of the Constitution to correct a specific abuse.

The Repeal Amendment should not be confused with the power to "nullify" unconstitutional laws possessed by federal courts. Unlike nullification, a repeal power allows two-thirds of the states to reject a federal law for policy reasons that are irrelevant to constitutional concerns. In this sense, a state repeal power is more like the president's veto power.

This amendment reflects confidence in the collective wisdom of the men and women from diverse backgrounds, and elected by diverse constituencies, who comprise the modern legislatures of two-thirds of the states. Put another way, it allows thousands of democratically elected representatives outside the Beltway to check the will of 535 elected representatives in Washington, D.C.

Congress could re-enact a repealed measure if it really feels that two-thirds of state legislatures are out of touch with popular entiment. And congressional re-enactment would require merely a simple majority. In effect, with repeal power the states could force Congress to take a second look at a controversial law.

Cuccinelli is the same Attorney General who brought the suit challenging the constitutionality of Obamacare -- which Jack Conway refused to join.

I'm betting Jack won't sign on to Cuccinelli's Repeal Amendment, either. No one has ever accused Jack Conway of being a Modern Federalist.

H/T: Instapundit

Look Who Gave to Jack

This makes Rand Paul's trouncing of Jack Conway all the sweeter: Conway took money from Barbara Streisand, and George Clooney! And a bunch of celebrity B-list types, the sort who come to Derby and make us wonder why they look vaguely familiar.

It seems that the time Jack spent cultivating the Hollywood elites paid off, a little.

According to Jake at Page One, Streisand gave Conway $1000. Clooney maxed out ($4800) and Nancy Sinatra gave $500. The ever annoying Garrison Keillor gave $250, suggesting that he is cheap as well as banal.

What a beautiful feeling to know that casting a straight-ticket vote in Kentucky had the power to annoy Babs Streisand.

Conway Throws Obama Under Bus

I'm sure it was a green bus, fueled by old waste or something. From last night's debate between Jack Conway and Rand Paul, via Politico:

But Paul responded then – as he did repeatedly through Monday’s forum – by linking Conway with his party’s leadership, including Obama, and its economic policies.

Later in the debate, Conway said that Kentucky can’t “afford” Paul’s policy prescriptions, giving Paul an opening to attack Conway for backing Obama’s policies.

“Perhaps they can’t afford President Obama’s trillion dollars spending – President Obama’s $2 trillion debt,” Paul said. “The leader of your party – the guy you supported in the primary, your kind of Democrat, you wanted President Obama – is a disaster for our country.

Conway said he didn’t back Obama his primary, saying, “He just made something up.”

Conway, the state attorney general, clearly senses a need to keep his distance from Obama, calling himself a “different kind of Democrat,” criticizing the White House for cutting a “sweetheart deal” with drug companies to pass the health care law, although he supported the plan. And he pointed out the White House should take a more forceful approach with Pakistan in its Afghanistan strategy.

But when the debate turned to whether to install a cap-and-trade proposal, Conway found himself explaining comments he’d made in the past saying he supported the plan by saying he opposes the idea.

Conway Should Have Sued

When he decided not to challenge the mandates of Obamacare, Jack Conway was wearing his U.S. Senate candidate's hat rather than his Attorney General hat -- and in so doing, he breached his duty to Kentuckians.

Conway asserted at the time that it would be a waste of money to litigate a baseless suit. Attorneys General from 20 other states looked at the merits, however, and decided to challenge the constitutionality of the Obamacare mandates. (Indeed, a similar suit in Virginia has survived a motion to dismiss.)

Conway's infatuation with Obamacare is such that either it clouded his legal judgement or he decided to advance his career rather than the needs of Kentucky. It was an odd political choice, given how many Kentuckians loathe Obamacare.

Rand Paul's campaign reminded voters that Conway could not join the 20 Attorneys General at a Florida hearing today; Conway has more glamorous (and lucrative) places to be:

So, where is Jack?

The sad truth is Jack Conway is in La Jolla, Calif., one of the richest and most exclusive beach communities in the world. While there, he's spending his time raising money from wealthy liberal elites for his political campaign. In fact, today marks the third day of Jack's Southern California swing, with stops in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Diego.

This is just one leg of his nationwide fundraising tour - with 20-plus events scheduled outside Kentucky to rake in cash from wealthy left-wing donors and his left-coast base.

Of course, we shouldn't be surprised. Jack Conway supports Obamacare and has refused to stand up for his state and join the lawsuit to overturn the president's scheme. Jack Conway supports the higher taxes and unconstitutional personal mandate and will stand with his liberal D.C. allies, not for Kentucky.

Fortunately, Kentucky has a choice. Rand Paul is a physician who understands that we need less government in healthcare, not more, and strives to protect the doctor patient relationship. Dr. Paul will stand up for Kentucky and fight to overturn Obamacare in the United States Senate.

NRSC Conway Ad

This NRSC ad was not quite as funny as I would have expected, but worth a click nonetheless. It reprises Jack Conway's "one tough son of a #$%@" line from Fancy Farm, in which Conway protested too much about his awesome toughness. Just like a guy with really big stereo speakers.

What I found most intriguing about the ad is the camera angle -- aimed up at Conway, who apparently was on a podium. From that angle, Jack Conway looks like a young Elvis. See for yourself.

Conway's Problem With Rangel

So serious are the ethical allegations swirling around Rep. Charles Rangel that even President Barack Obama has suggested that maybe its time for Rangel to "end his career with dignity."

Jack Conway has refused to return $13,000 of campaign contributions from Rep. Charlie Rangel's campaign committee and PAC -- notwithstanding Rangel's ethical troubles.

Rangel came to Louisville to campaign for Conway in 2002 at a number of Black churches when Conway ran for Congress.

Perhaps Conway ought to take the tainted $13,000 and give it to Dan Mongiardo to help him repay his campaign debts to himself.

Dan Mongiardo Wants a Bail Out

Joe Arnold at WHAS11 has a piece on sore-loserman Dan Mongiardo that makes the Kentucky Democrats look like a bunch of corrupt and incompetent crybabies.

It's been two months since Mongiardo lost the primary and yet he still has not endorsed Conway. Conway is very coy in his interview with Arnold, but the chronology tells it all.

• Mongiardo lost the primary in a close race, by approximately one vote per precinct.
• Mongiardo's campaign is roughly $70,000 in debt.
• Mongiardo threatened to call for a recanvass of the vote.
• Mongiardo's and Conway's staffs met.
• Hours later, Mongiardo changes his mind about requesting a recount.
• Mongiardo says Conway promised to help retire his debt.
• Conway refuses to pay Mongiardo's debt.
• Conway still lacks Mongiardo's endorsement.

It looks like quid pro quo, several in fact. Conway denies it, but watch Joe Arnold's interview and decide for yourself if Conway's feigned ignorance of the details of the discussion between the two campaign staffs is plausible. At best, Conway looks like he cannot or will not exert any control over his staff, or that he's the pretty puppet of his campaign operatives.

Mongiardo comes off worse. It's been apparent for two months that he is a sore loser. Now we know that he has no qualms about selling his right to a recount for $70,000. And the price for his endorsement is apparently the same, $70,000.

Mongiardo's welfare mentality is all-consuming. His debt is not his problem, in his view, it's somebody else's -- Jack Conway. No personal accountability for Mongiardo; he deserves the help. He thinks he's entitled to Jack Conway's money or the Democratic Committee's or whoever will spare him a dime.

Maybe the Democratic-controlled Congress (in the remaining four months while they are still in control) can pass a $70,000 earmark for Dan Mongiardo.