Rainy Days and Election Days

Grayson's get out the vote effort has shown more passion than his ads. I say the rain helps Grayson more than Paul today

No matter the outcome, I am just grateful for an end to the robo-calls and mailers. And the TV ads, none of which was particularly good. Why can't Kentucky candidates do political ads like this guy in Alabama? Finally, a muscular conservatism.

Save Now

H/t: Hot Air

So Who Should Oppose Yarmuth?

Since the Republican primary for U.S. Senate has sucked all the oxygen out of the Commonwealth, many of us almost forgot that there are other primaries tomorrow.

Hal Heiner will take the mayoral primary. But who will win -- who should win -- the right to challenge John Yarmuth?

The Democrats enjoy a considerable registration advantage in Kentucky's 3rd Congressional District. Nonetheless, this could be the year to bring Yarmuth back to the Kentucky links.

Rand For President?

Glad to know that Rand Paul's ego has survived the campaign thus far. Paul tells Joe Arnold that he wants to be a "national leader" and refused to rule out a run for president. As my kids would say, "Dude, seriously?"

Joe pressed Paul on what will happen to Kentucky before Paul can overhaul the "system" in Washington. The implication is that unless or until Paul can fulfill his promise to end earmarks, all the federal money that has been flowing to Kentucky will now go to New Jersey or where ever.

As Joe writes,

That system is the framework for the success of Kentucky's senior senator, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to bring home the bacon for the Bluegrass State. Kentucky is a net importer of federal dollars, due in part to McConnell's seniority and influence. It's a system that Paul says he will work to abolish.

. . .

And for those voters who are dubious about Paul's or any politician's ability to change the system, the question begged to be asked, "If the system is the way that it is, and you can't have that effect there, in the interim then, what are you willing to give up for Kentucky?"

"If the system remains as it is," Paul sighed, "And we have to acknowledge that before we get started in the election, before I win anything that the system will not change? Then I wouldn't run for office."

Lights Were On, Nobody Home

Given that Jack Conway has closed the gap and has a real chance at winning on Tuesday, I was surprised to see his Louisville campaign headquarters empty last night at 10:30. Way to squander your momentum.

Paul: We Shall Sing Kumbayah

Rand Paul has told the Daily Caller that he's a "big enough person" to work with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, notwithstanding McConnell's endorsement of Trey Grayson.

Paul said McConnell has "done a good job of uniting Republicans against a lot of bad stuff the Democrats have tried to push through. So I think there are many areas we agree on."

Paul said McConnell has called for a "unity rally" for the primary winner to take place Saturday somewhere. Yippee.

R.I.P. Mr. Jones, a/k/a Scotty the Elephant

Scotty the Elephant died of colic last night at the Louisville Zoo. He was the first elephant ever born there. He was three years old.

I had the privilege of getting to know Scotty through a friend who cleans the elephant cages every week. I learned that "Scotty" was his stage name. His real name, the name his trainers used, was "Mr. Jones," in honor of a famous elephant trainer. The stage name helped him ignore the tourists when they yelled out "Scotty." He only responded when someone called him "Mr. Jones."

This cute elephant was a toddler, and all boy. The last time I saw him, he kept taking his trunk (an elephant trunk contains 1100 different muscles) to tickle my son's toes through his flip-flops. Then he'd wrap his trunk around our necks and give us an elephant hug.

It's said that elephants have extraordinary memories, particularly for scent. They can recognize a previous visitor by her perfume. I do think Scotty/ Mr. Jones recognized me the second time we met.

The elephant team at the Louisville Zoo is talented, dedicated and very kind. I am so sorry for their loss.

Politico: McConnell to Remain Party Leader

Politico, via Joe Arnold, details how Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has gone about ensuring that he will remain party leader.

Joe Arnold actually started the story when he asked Rand Paul a few months back whether he would support McConnell as party leader. Paul demurred, and then went and paid his respects to McConnell. During this week's Republican debate, Paul again refused to say whom he would support for leader because it is not known who, if anyone, is running against McConnell. According to Politico, Jim DeMint will not run.

The DNC and DSCC have been circulating stories that DeMint would and should challenge McConnell. If the Democrats are actively trying to topple McConnell as party leader, then we'd be insane not to keep him. The Republican Leader we want is the one who has won the Chuck Schumer - Harry Reid seal of disapproval.

Oh, The Irony

Bernard J. Kunkel has written me a letter to inform me that Trey Grayson was spawned by the devil. It includes pictures of Trey along side (different pictures) of Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Van Jones. Apparently Jack the Ripper and the Joker were unavailable.

I particularly enjoyed the passage about Van Jones. Writes Mr. Kunkel,

"You remember Van Jones. He was Obama's green czar who was forced to resign in shame after Fox news [sic] revealed that he was an avowed socialist and a 9/11 truther."

"The crowd Trey Grayson runs with on this issue should be troubling to Republicans."

The letter is paid for "by Rand Paul for U.S. Senate."

It fails to note that the Legacy Candidate's father, Ron Paul, said that "they [the Islamofascists] are attackers because we are occupiers." Paul the Younger is trying gently to distance himself from Paul the Elder, but he did run around the country giving speeches on behalf of his father's two failed presidential campaigns, and has said he agrees with his father on "most issues."

Rand Paul's campaign is banking on this congruity of viewpoint -- literally. That's why Rand has been able to draw upon Ron Paul's out-of-state Internet base upon which to throw "money bombs."

If there is a "truther" in the Kentucky Republican primary for U.S. Senate, it is not Trey Grayson.

Cathy Bailey Endorses Rand Paul

Here's a shocker: Former Latvian Ambassador Cathy Bailey has endorsed Rand Paul. And in so doing, she essentially accuses Trey Grayson's supporters or campaign of misrepresenting Paul's record. Worse still, she implies that Grayson is neither conservative nor tough enough to be Kentucky's U.S. Senator.

According to the Lexington Herald-Leader,

In a statement, Cathy Bailey said, “I have consistently said that I wanted the Republican Party of Kentucky to nominate a true conservative to replace Senator Jim Bunning in Washington D.C.

“Like many people, I was originally told things about Rand Paul’s views that turned out to be false.

“The truth is Rand Paul is a true conservative and he will not participate in the business-as-usual culture of Washington D.C. I am confident that he will stand up for fiscal discipline, just as Senator Bunning has done time and again.”

. . .

Bailey said she selected between Paul and Secretary of State Trey Grayson on the basis of which one is “strong enough and conservative enough to truly stand against President Obama’s liberal agenda, which is pushing the United States down a treacherous path on many fronts.”

More Endorsements

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Trey Grayson, for what that's worth. Here's the release from the Grayson campaign:

“I’m grateful to have the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its members who share my agenda. I’m running for U.S. Senate, because I’m fed up with the Obama agenda of more government, out-of-control spending, increased deficits and job-killing policies. If I’m elected I will fight for a balanced budget and economic policies that will free small businesses and entrepreneurs to expand their businesses, innovate and create jobs,” said Grayson. “I will always put Kentucky first and fight for our priorities, including working to reduce the burdensome national debt that threatens our economic well being now and for future generations.”

In the endorsement, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue wrote to Grayson, “It is the Chamber’s goal to help elect a pro-business Congress and work diligently in the interests of businesses large and small to advance legislation that encourages economic growth, job creation and a less intrusive federal government. Your support of pro-business issues earned this endorsement.” Read the endorsement letter.

Trey in Louisville Wed.

Trey Grayson's bus tour will be in Louisville Wednesday, at 10:00 a.m. at the 1000 Building, 6200 Dutchman's Lanes.

Justice Kagan?

President Barack Obama has nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court. No doubt her opposition to military recruiters at Harvard Law School as Dean will draw probing questions from Republicans. She was completely wrong about using "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as a pretext for keeping the military off the Harvard Law School campus.

Nonetheless, we could have done worse. She was a pretty fair dean -- much less ideological than many on the faculty. And she did appoint some outstanding conservatives to the faculty, and that is no small accomplishment at Harvard. Her communication to alums also represented an improvement. Given her recent confirmation as Solicitor General, I think she will be confirmed to the High Court where she will be a solid vote for the left but unable to pull over any votes from the right.

Here's Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's statement on her nomination:

“I congratulate Elena Kagan on her nomination. As we did with Justice Sotomayor last year, Senate Republicans will treat Ms. Kagan fairly. She has been nominated for a lifetime appointment on the nation’s highest court, and we will carefully review her brief litigation experience, as well as her judgment and her career in academia, both as a professor and as an administrator. Fulfilling our duty to advise and consent on a nomination to this office requires a thorough process, not a rush to judgment.

“The American people expect judges to apply the Constitution and laws of the United States fairly and impartially—as they are written, not how they could have been written but were not. Even though the President who nominates them has personal policy preferences, judges must not be a rubberstamp for any administration. Judges must not walk into court with a preconceived idea of who should win. Their job is to apply the law ‘without respect to persons,’ as the judicial oath states; it is not to pick winners or losers.

“Senate Republicans will have a vigorous debate on the importance of this principle. And we will diligently review the record of Ms. Kagan to ensure that she shares this principle and that she possesses the requisite experience to serve on the Supreme Court.”

New York Remains on Edge

New York City residents are understandably nervous after the Times Square car bomber brought back memories of 9/11. Today, an abandoned cooler of water bottles in Times Square caused an evacuation and visit from the bomb squad. Now an illegally-parked truck is causing a reprise.

No wonder New Yorkers are frightened. Not only does their city symbolize all that Islamofascists hate, but they have learned from hard experience that they must be on the alert at all times for anything or anyone who looks suspicious.

It's all well and good for ordinary citizens to be vigilant, but that's not much of a counter-intelligence plan. The Obama administration essentially conceded that point when it acquiesced to renewal of the Patriot Act.

Rand Paul, however, said he would vote against the Patriot Act.

That puts Rand Paul to the left of Obama on counter terrorism.

American Future Fund Targets Rand Paul

The American Future Fund, a 501(c)(4) organization, is running an attack ad against Rand Paul that hits him on energy, agriculture, national security and unemployment. According to the AFF website, the ad airs today through next week.

The American Freedom Fund is a multi-state advocacy group that focuses on conservative and free market principles.

Why Isn't Trey Talking About Times Square?

I do not understand why the Grayson campaign is not pounding on the issue of the Times Square bomber. To the contrary, Grayson has issued no release and as best I can tell has not even mentioned it on facebook.

Grayson won Rudy Giuliani's endorsement, and Giuliani has urged Americans to look at the narrow escape in Times Square and recall when we were not so lucky, on 9/11. So when the news cycle hands you an event that illustrates a key distinction between your opponent, use it (if you want to win, that is).

Under the Obama administration, terrorists have struck at Fort Hood. A Denver group sought to bomb the New York City subway. The Christmas Day bomber nearly succeeded in blowing up a plane over Detroit. And now we have Times Square. Turns out Homeland Security has been reduced to guys selling fake Coach purses.

Though the Obama administration avoids the word "terrorist" so as not to hurt Muslim feelings, we are in a war. Islamofascists want to kill us -- and will keep trying until our luck runs out.

Trey Grayson will vote to use the full intelligence capability of the U.S. government to detect these people before they light their fuses. Grayson supports the Patriot Act; Rand Paul does not. Grayson will vote to keep Gitmo open to house terrorists for a long, long time. Rand Paul, when the hard votes come, will go all wobbly and vote with Lindsay Graham.

Rand Paul has said -- his words, on tape -- "I think they should mostly be sent back to their country of origin. Or to tell you the truth I’d drop them back off into battle."

Well, thanks to the Times Square car bomber we now know that Emerites Air is running a special. So why isn't Trey Grayson running an ad showing the plane to Dubai with a voiceover from Rand Paul about sending back terrorists to their country of origin?

We know from the Times Square bomber that Emirates Air is running a special from JFK.

Why Trey Grayson isn't running an ad showing footage of the Emirates plane with a voice over from Rand Paul promising to send terrorists back to their country of origin is a mystery. think they should mostly be sent back to their country of origin. Or to tell you the truth I’d drop them back off into battle.")

Well, we now know from the Times Square bomber that Emirates Air is running a special from JFK.

Why Trey Grayson isn't running an ad showing footage of the Emirates plane with a voice over from Rand Paul promising to send terrorists back to their country of origin is a mystery.

Jim DeMint Endorses Rand Paul

Well, that didn't take long. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) waited a whopping 24 hours to endorse Rand Paul after Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell endorsed Trey Grayson.

The battle for Senate Republican Leader starts now. Other than that, DeMint's endorsement makes no difference. He consecrated Rand Paul with kind words back in February, so his preference in Kentucky's primary was about as much of a secret as McConnell's. Nonetheless, just days ago DeMint said he had not taken the step of endorsing Paul because he didn't want to poke a finger in McConnell's eye. DeMint said he'd intervene if the race got "unfair."

The race has gotten plenty unfair. Sen. Jim Bunning encourages Trey Grayson to run and then endorses Rand Paul. Dr. James Dobson endorses Trey Grayson (who is indisputably pro-life) and then does an about-face to endorse Rand Paul. Like the DeMint endorsement, the Bunning and Dobson endorsements were not so much about supporting Paul as punishing McConnell.

The only Kentuckians who could care less about DeMint's favorite are already in the Paul cult.

About Those Poll Numbers

The Rand Paul campaign boasts that it leads by 20 points, but its most recent TV spot calls that into question. No candidate who is truly up by that wide a margin would run an ad this negative -- particularly when Trey Grayson is running such a positive ad.

But the ads are not just different in tone. Grayson's ad features Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who won an overwhelming electoral victory just last year and remains very popular among Kentucky Republicans. McConnell, after all, did more than anyone else to transform Kentucky into a Red State.

Dr. Dobson

Ben Chandler is Sweating Now

National Review Online has compiled a list of 90 vulnerable Democrats. Ben Chandler made the list; John Yarmuth did not.

Here's NRO's take:

Ben Chandler, Kentucky: He’s a Democrat in an R+9 district who voted against the health-care bill. The two best-funded challengers areMike Templeman, former CEO of Energy Coal Resources, and Andy Barr. Both are running as conservatives against Washington, and this appears to be one of those districts where it just isn’t that healthy to be an incumbent Democrat.

McConnell Endorses Trey!

Sen. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has endorsed Trey Grayson. This is huge, and must be a disappointment to Rand Paul who last fall went to have a private wine and cheese meeting with McConnell in an office at Bowman Field; this was Rand paying obeisance for commenting that he might not back McConnell for party leader if elected.

We know how Rand will spin this: jump up and down and whimper "Career Politician! Term Limits! Earmarks!" The fact is, that McConnell's seniority and the earmarks he has brought to a state as poor as Kentucky have improved the lives of many. He therefore remains hugely popular with Kentucky Republicans, and his endorsement is a game-changer.

Here's the release from the Grayson campaign:

Senator Mitch McConnell announced today that he is taking the rare step of endorsing a GOP candidate in a contested primary. Sen. McConnell threw his support behind Secretary of State Trey Grayson for U.S. Senate in the May 18^th Republican primary. The Grayson campaign also launched a television commercial that features McConnell.

“For the last year and a half I’ve seen first-hand the efforts the left will go to in order to enact President Obama’s far-reaching policies. Their moves to have the government take over banks, car companies, the student loan business and most recently pass government run health care are turning the U.S. into a western European style economy. I refuse to let America be the next Greece, and I need Trey Grayson in the Senate to help me turn back the Obama agenda,” said McConnell.

He continued, “Trey Grayson has a proven conservative record as Secretary of State, cutting his office budget by 15% and ensuring that Kentucky’s taxpaying families have easy access to information about his office and budget. He understands that Kentuckians are his first responsibility and has worked to make his office more efficient and effective to meet their needs.”

“President Obama, aided by large Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress, has put us on a course to double the national debt in 5 years and triple it in 10 years. I need a conservative ally who won’t simply oppose such misguided plans, but will work to correct our current course. Trey is that candidate. He has a track record of leading by example rather than by press release. I ask Kentucky Republicans to vote for Trey Grayson on May 18^th.”

Grayson commented, “Senator Mitch McConnell has been a champion in the Senate for Kentucky. Like most Kentucky Republicans, I am proud that he has twice been unanimously selected to lead his GOP colleagues in the Senate. Unlike my opponent, I am committed to seeing him reelected to that position in the next Congress. I thank him for his support and hope to have the opportunity to work with him on behalf of Kentuckians. The Democratic Congress is too arrogant, too liberal and refuses to listen to voters. If elected I will work with Sen. McConnell to help get our country back on a path to prosperity.”

Yesterday, Congressman Hal Rogers of Kentucky’s 5^th Congressional District endorsed Grayson. Congressman Rogers hasn’t received less than 70% of the vote since 1992 in the critical 5^th Congressional district, where primary voter turnout is expected to be the highest statewide.

The Grayson campaign also released the attached memo from respected pollster Jan van Lohuizen describing a live survey of 600 likely Republican primary voters conducted for the Grayson campaign last week that continues to show the race is a dead heat with each candidate getting 40% of the vote and 20% of voters still undecided.

Update: Politico reports that an the Grayson campaign will run its largest statewide buy of an ad with McConnell endorsing Trey.