McConnell and Paul: The Odd Power Couple

Oscar and Felix they are not. But Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator-Elect Rand Paul will be incongruous housemates, so to speak, in the U.S. Senate Chamber come next year.

And as for there being another State with more consequential U.S. Senators, forget New York, California and the other mammoth states. Next session it will be Kentucky that packs the punch.

We thought we were fortunate just to have the Senate Republican Leader from our Commonwealth. But with yesterday's election, the national media have anointed Kentucky's junior Senator-elect as the de-facto leader of the national Tea Party movement. Witness Paul's gracing the cover of the latest issue of Time Magazine, his victory as the subject of prominent coverage by national newspapers such as the Washington Post and New York Times, and his recent ascendancy as the go-to Tea Party guy for national television and radio talk shows -- though I suspect the real reason that Laura Ingraham had him on her show so many times was simply because listeners found her chant of "Aqua Buddha, Aqua Buddha" to be so hilarious.

Given Rand Paul's meteoric rise, does it seem so far-fetched to speculate that he might just end up as part of the equation for the Republican ticket against Obama (or Hillary?) in 2012. Of course, Paul as a presidential candidate is a way long-shot, though his experience in the U.S. Senate in 2012 would be only two years less than Obama's was when he ran. More likely, though, Paul is a potential running mate for Sarah Palin were she to win the GOP nomination.

This is not to say I'm advocating for a Palin-Paul, Paul-Palin, or Paul-anybody ticket. But it is quite remarkably how this eye doctor from Bowling Green who scarcely was seen by any media in 2008, even when his father ran for president, is suddenly the most prominent elected official in the Tea Party movement. That should count for much in the newly transformed balance of power in the nation's capital.

Paul's new found role as national Tea Party spokesman, added to Senator McConnell's position as the leading voice of Senate Republicans, should bode well for Kentucky's status in national politics even if it makes for some odd moments between a most unlikely pair of politicians.
Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

McConnell on Rand Paul's Victory

Here's Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's statement on Rand Paul's election:

For nearly two years, Kentuckians have said they want their government to focus on jobs and the economy. And at every turn, President Obama and Washington Democrats have ignored the people, and pursued their own left-wing agenda. Tonight, Kentucky voters sent a strong message to Washington by electing Dr. Rand Paul to the United States Senate. His message of reining in outrageous Washington spending and the overreaching policies of the Obama Administration resonated throughout the state. Senator-elect Paul ran a great campaign, and I am excited to have him as my colleague in the Senate next year to help us stop this crippling agenda.

My Wish For the GOP

You've been given a second chance. Don't blow it.

Turnout Looks Great

I voted right after lunch and my precinct was at the 40 percent mark. The poll worker anticipates that they will top 50 percent by the end of the day. That's extraordinary for a midterm election. This will give Hal Heiner a nice pad for his victory.

Let's See How Accurate Our Kids Were at Calling This

As the results come in tonight, watch to see how accurate the school mock elections were. My bet is that most children voted right, so to speak.

Here's the link. By the way, let's hope that this generation remains conservative. That will only happen if Republicans deliver on campaign promises: the gravy train is over. Time to get serious about the size of government

Yarmuth Wants to Give Health Care to Illegals

At yesterday's Bill Clinton rally at U of L, John Yarmuth let slip that he supports giving health care to illegal aliens.

According to the daily rag that passes for a newspaper in Louisville, Yarmuth said "Jack Conway is running against a doctor . . .who says it's not important to insure 50 million more people, that it's not a high priority."

Those who followed the health care debate -- and particularly those who attended a Town Hall -- know that the "50 million uninsured" number includes 9.7 million illegal aliens. Those numbers are not made up by Fox news; those are Census Bureau numbers.

Apparently Yarmuth feels so confident about his reelection that he is not engaging in the liberal ruse that Obamacare should only cover U.S. citizens. Either that, or he thinks that we are too ignorant to actually catch the import of his numbers.

The Ugliest Robo-Call of 2010

A robo-call that went out yesterday claims that Rand Paul is not a Christian and hates Christianity, according to the Daily Caller. A Republican pastor in Marion, the Rev. Lucy Tedrick, said the call indicated that it was from the Kentucky Leadership Council.. That's the new group that Andrew Horne leads.

Jack Conway's campaign denies that it had anything to do with the call. And given how the Aqua Buddha ad back-fired for similarly attacking Paul's Christianity, this robo-call is the last thing that Conway needed. Is the Kentucky Leadership Council that clueless, or is it trying to finish off Jack Conway altogether, so he can't run for anything down the road?

The Kentucky Leadership Council has spent $132,000 against Rand Paul so far. It is one of those independent expenditure groups with secret donors that Democrats claim to hate, at least when Karl Rove is running 'em. This group is led by Andrew Horne. Horne, remember, tried to run for the Democratic nomination for Senate in 2008, but dropped out when national Democrats backed self-funder Bruce Lunsford. Horne also ran for Kentucky's 3rd Congressional District; he lost to John Yarmuth in the Democratic primary in 2006.

Slate: KY Senators Are So Vain

Slate has ranked the vainest U.S. Senators, based on to what extent their office waiting rooms look like shrines to themselves.

Both of Kentucky's Senators make the list. Sen. Jim Bunning comes in at number 3, primarily because he has a picture of himself bestowing a signed baseball upon the Pope. (Now if Bunning had let the Pope bless him, maybe he wouldn't have been forced to retire.)

Sen. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell ranks number 7. McConnell has lots of pictures from the Reagan revolution. Slate takes that as vanity, whereas Kentuckians just view it as the good ole days. And McConnell has a picture of himself with some baseball player named Tommy Lasorda who, like McConnell, supports the first amendment right to burn a flag, even at a Dodger's game.

Will Rand Paul carry on this great tradition of supposed vanity? Will there be any pictures of the NoZe brothers or Aqua Buddha? We will find out in January; he is measuring the drapes now.

KY-3 Race Makes Bill Bennett Show

Sen. Rick Santorum, who is subbing for Bill Bennett this morning, mentioned the race for Kentucky's 3rd Congressional District. In particular, Santorum noted the recent SUSA poll and the prospect of sending John Yarmuth home.

Wonder if anyone from the NRCC was listening.

Rally For Lally

Saturday at 9:00 at Jefferson County Republican Headquarters. Come help the final 72 hour push to get out the vote for Todd Lally, Hal Heiner and all the other great Republican candidates on the ticket this year.

So What Has Made the Difference for Heiner?

How to explain the 13 point swing in Hal Heiner's favor over last month? There are many factors at play. Here are just a few.

First, Greg Fischer made the mistake of calling Heiner a "liar" and a "hypocrite." Both campaigns had refrained from ad hominem attacks up to this point. The fact that Fischer chose to change strategies suggests that his internal polling told him that victory was slipping away from him. Regardless of why he changed strategy, it compounded Fischer's problem by making Fischer look like a jerk, given that he lacked the facts to back up his accusation.

Second, Louisville -- even as configured as Metro Louisville -- is still a small town. We may market ourselves as the 16th largest city or whatever, but we are still a small town. Consequently, our paths cross frequently. We know many of the candidates, from both parties, personally. And if we don't know them personally, we have a good friend or relative who does.

Third, Heiner is known as a man of integrity. Even people who dislike his politics or his place of worship (Southeast Christian) know this. When Fischer accused Heiner of lying about endorsements, therefore, the accusation did not stick. Instead, Fischer appeared to be the one who was lying, given the internal emails in the Jackie Green campaign.

Fourth, Heiner's personal story gives people hope in an economy with 10 percent unemployment -- not counting those who have given up looking or who have taken jobs for which they are over-qualified out of desperation. Heiner is a self-made man. As a teenager, he worked as a janitor. He personifies the American dream with his success. Fischer, in contrast, was lucky enough to be born into a rich family. There is nothing wrong with that, per se; but it does not inspire, the way Heiner's biography does.

At a time when people are looking for someone to lead our city out of an economic abyss, Heiner seems like the better bet, because he has done so in his own life.

Jack Conway's Union Buddies

Big Labor likes Jack Conway. The government worker's union, AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees), gave Conway $5,000 bucks.

AFSCME can well afford a large donation like it gave to Conway. According to Rich Lowery, AFSCME is spending $90 million on this election. It makes the efforts of Karl Rove, and likewise the Chamber of Commerce, look like chump-change.

Government workers have a big stake in this election: at issue, as Lowry notes, is whether the government workers work for we the people, or whether we work for them -- to pay their bloated salaries, benefits and pensions.

These local bureaucrats, moreover, have been the recipients of millions of dollars in stimulus money to save their jobs, while workers in the private sector confront layoffs and 10 percent unemployment.

AFSCME gave to Jack Conway because he would be a reliable vote not just for big labor, but for big government.

A Word From the GOP Campaigns

• Hal Heiner Countdown to Victory Rally at Bowman Field Friday, October 29 5:30-7:30. Conservatives need to support this remarkable opportunity of a Republican mayor for Louisville.
• Call 895-55-99 to sign up to canvass for Hal.
• Rand Paul Election Night Victory Party will be at the Sloan Convention Center, Bowling Green. (Please r.s.v.p. to the campaign.)
• A block of discounted rooms is available at the Holiday Inn University Plaza
• Rand Paul events for this afternoon -- note the New Albany event (1st stop in the presidential campaign???)

• 12:30 PM Glasgow Lunch Stop

  George J Ellis Restaurant - 144 East Public Square, Glasgow

  1:45 PM Columbia Event

  Adair County Courthouse Annex Building (Basement) - 424 Public Sq # 3, Columbia

  2:45 PM Russell Springs Event

  Mitchell's Family Restaurant - 2475 S Highway 127, Russell Springs

  5:00 PM Somerset Event

  Honey Baked Ham - 1813 S Highway 27 - Somerset

  6:00 PM Albany Event

  Albany Fair Ground - Closest Address: 107 East Water St - Albany

Obama Comments on the Neck Stomping

President Barack Obama met with a group of Demo-bloggers today, and commented on the assault of a Moveon.org member by a Rand Paul supporter. From Huffington Post:

Well, look, I think that one of the things that I've always tried to promote is civility in politics. I think we can disagree vigorously without being disagreeable. And what we saw on the video was an example of people's passions just getting out of hand in ways that are disturbing.

In fairness, I don't expect every candidate to be responsible for every single supporter's actions, but I do think that all of us have an obligation to set a tone where we say the other side is -- may be wrong but it's not evil, because when you start going down that path of demonizing folks, then these kinds of incidents are more likely to occur. And my expectation in the remainder of this campaign is that all candidates out there are a little more careful about making sure that they're framing the debate around issues and sending a clear message to their supporters that our democracy works when we disagree, we debate, we argue, it gets contentious, but that there are certain lines we don't cross.

Yarmuth Beware: It's Not Just Fischer Who Should Be Worried By This Poll

Hal Heiner has dramatically jumped into a commanding leading over Greg Fischer in a SurveyUSA poll released earlier today. He is up by 7 points, leading Fischer 51% to 44%. That represents a 13-point swing in Heiner's favor from a poll taken only a few weeks ago. Great news for Heiner, and also very encouraging for Congressional hopeful Todd Lally. In traditionally Democratic Louisville, if a majority of survey respondents say they are voting for the Republican nominee for mayor, that suggests they may be more likely to pull the lever for the Republican running for Congress as well.
Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Jack Conway's Truthiness Problem

Ouch: this new ad from the NRSC punctures holes in Jack Conway's much-touted accomplishment of suing 47 pharmaceutical companies. Check it out.

Rahm Emanuel Hearts John Yarmuth

In case conservatives needed yet another reason to vote for Todd Lally and against John Yarmuth, consider that Yarmuth took money from a PAC called the "Friends of Rahm Emanuel."

Emanuel came up with the political maxim that "you never want a serious crisis to go to waste." (Economy tanks, let's nationalize the auto, banking and healthcare industries!)

Emanuel shows that sometimes the difference between a thug and a pol is just the cut of the suit. He is one nasty piece of work.

Good to know that Yarmuth, who has slid by with his reputation as a nice guy, has the financial backing of Rahmbo's pac.

Get Your Tickets to Hear Scott Brown

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) will speak at the University of Louisville's McConnell Center November 8, 2010 at 1:30 (Bigelow Hall). He will no doubt have an interesting take on the election results, given that his special election to the seat formerly held by Teddy Kennedy propelled the conservative surge.

Tickets are available, while supplies last, at www.mcconnellcenter.org

Which Circuit Judges to Vote For?

Here are the recommendations from the Citizens for Better Judges. They have a very methodical (nonpartisan) process for vetting these candidates, including interviews from lawyers from a variety of litigation practice areas as well as lay citizens to monitor the integrity of the process.

• Circuit Judge, Div. 6: Hon. Olu Stevens
• Circuit Judge, Div. 11: Hon. Brian Edwards
• Circuit Judge, Div. 3: Hon. Claude Prather
• Circuit Judge, Div. 7: Hon. Jennifer Wilcox
• Circuit Judge, Div. 10: Hon. Sheila Collins
• Circuit Judge, Div. 11: Hon. Sadiq Reynolds
• Circuit Judge, Div. 13: Deana McDonald
• Circuit Judge, Div. 14: Stephanie P. Burke

A Word About John Yarmuth's Buddies at SEIU

We've noted recently that SEIU, the nation's largest union, is giving roughly $44 million to Democrats this year, and that John Yarmuth is one of their recipients. SEIU reps met with Yarmuth in the run-up to the Obamacare vote. Their donation suggests they were well-pleased with his vote.

For those who don't follow SEIU, here is a synopsis from RedState on what the union's been up to lately. Consider the implications for a tight race, like we have in Kentucky's 3rd Congressional District:

• In Milwaukee, a SEIU lobbyist brags about a hatchet job the union is planning on Republican Scott Walker on behalf of Democrat Tom Barrett, with media cooperation.
• In Washington state, an SEIU member was arrested for allegedly forging signatures on petitions
• In Harris County, TX a group run by a former SEIU staffer allegedly turned in over 23,000 fraudulent voter registrations [Video of said former SEIU staffer here.]
  • Note: The situation seems to have deteriorated further as actual voting has begun.
• In Arizona, the SEIU (and affiliated groups) allegedly signed up 20,000 voters and was involved in get out the vote early rallies where it is possible that ballots from undocumented immigrants were sent in.
• Ironically, on Tuesday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals threw out Arizona’s requirement that citizen’s show proof of citizenship in order to vote. . . .
• • In Colorado, 6,000 voter registrations were canceled under Colorado’s 20-day rule. TheSEIU and SEIU-affiliated groups sought a preliminary injunction to reactivate the cancelled registrations.
  • In Yuma, Arizona, Mi Familia Vota (a group connected to the SEIU and whose national treasurer is SEIU’s Eliseo Medina) and One Vote Arizona turned in more than 3,000 voter registrations, of which 65% were invalid. Yuma County [AZ-7] is where Democrat (socialist) Raúl M. Grijalva is in a tight race against Republican Ruth McClung [h/t Jim Hoft].
  • On Tuesday, the Washington Examiner’s Mark Hemingway reported Nevada’s Clark County had voting machines that had Democrat Harry Reid’s name already checked. To make matters worse, the voting machine technicians are represented by the SEIU.