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.

SUSA Poll: Great News for Todd Lally

The Survey USA poll conducted by WHAS 11 and the Courier-Journal shows that the race for the 3rd Congressional District is a statistical dead heat.

John Yarmuth leads Todd Lally 50-46. But the margin of error is + or - 4/1 percent. (Ed Martin and Michael Hansen each have one percent.)

Interestingly, the undecideds only constitute one percent, which is much lower than the national average.

Lally leads by six among voters who describe themselves as "very likely" to vote in a midterm election.

That means Yarmuth will be looking to his labor friends -- including SEIU, which gave $2500 last quarter -- to bus in the union voters.

Kentucky conservatives can score a two-fer by working to get out the vote for Todd Lally and Hal Heiner. (Rand Paul won his race when Jack Conway aired his infamous Aqua Buddha ad.)

It is time to walk the precincts and work the phone banks. Time to show the NRCC that conservatives in KY-3 are hoping for change. We're not waiting around for the pros from D.C. to rescue us from John Yarmuth.

National Pundits Agree: Paul Won Debate

Note that the common theme in assessing last night's debate is that Rand Paul appeared more intelligent than Jack Conway. Conway is not dim, by any means. The problem for Conway, as Paul helpfully suggested, is that Conway oversimplified the issues -- repeatedly. For example, when Conway insisted that Paul wanted to raise taxes by imposing a 23 percent national sales tax, Paul called Conway out for his intellectual dishonesty: Conway failed to mention that a national sales tax would replace the federal income tax.

Here's a summary of national reactions to the debate -- and note that much of it comes from Conway's favorite network, MSNBC:

MARK HALPERIN: "I Thought Rand Paul In That Debate Was Calm And Cool, Even When There Was A Heated Exchange. He Stayed Looking Senatorial." (MSNBC's Morning Joe, 10/26/10)

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: "Rand Paul Was The Clear Visual Winner Here... This Guy Looked Centered, Focused..." (MSNBC's Morning Joe, 10/26/10)

EUGENE ROBINSON: "Rand Paul Is The One Who Has Managed To Come Across Sounding The Most Reasonable, Smartest. You Know, That Was A Very Reasoned Performance In The Debate." (MSNBC's Morning Joe, 10/26/10)

JOE SCARBOUROUGH: "I'm not comparing Rand Paul to Ronald Reagan here, but he's got a similar dynamic... people saw him debating Jimmy Carter, he looked... quite effective. And he ran away with it." (MSNBC's Morning Joe, 10/26/10)

JOE SCARBOUROUGH: "I Suspect In Kentucky They're Thinking, That Guy Actually Looked More Senatorial Than Conway." (MSNBC's Morning Joe, 10/26/10)

PAT BUCHANNAN: "Makes Rand Paul Look Like A Very Intelligent Thoughtful Guy" "He looked like a tutor. He's very professorial he's giving instructions basically on a complex issue sales tax, income tax. And he's sitting there with what looks like sort of a wiseacre pupil who's throwing smart aleck cracks and comments. There's nothing that Conway did in this segment that makes him look good and there's an awful lot in there that makes Rand Paul look like a very intelligent thoughtful guy who's trying to get across a point to a pretty slow student." (MSNBC's Morning Joe, 10/26/10)

Good for Chris Thieneman

Chris Thieneman lost to Hal Heiner in the Republican primary back in May, but he chose to endorse him only yesterday -- to refute Greg Fischer's charge that Heiner is trading endorsements for influence. Moreover, Thieneman revealed details about past discussions with Heiner that don't make Thieneman look so great, but for the fact that he is coming clean now.

From Joe Arnold

Thieneman said he knows that Heiner hasn't bargained for endorsements because Heiner rejected Thieneman's initial endorsement offer when it had strings attached

Amid questions of whether Democrat Greg Fischer traded influence over a Metro agency in exchange for the endorsement of former independent candidate Jackie Green, Fischer subsequently has called Heiner a liar and hypocrite and accused him of doing the same thing to procure the endorsement of former Democratic primary mayoral candidate Tyler Allen.

Thieneman described his discussions with Heiner after the primary, in which Heiner rejected Thieneman's offer of an endorsement:

"So I asked Hal, I said 'Hal - do you think you could find a position for me to where I could represent the South End in the areas that they've always been neglected?' And when I talked to Hal about that, he said - 'Chris I understand where you're coming from,

I appreciate what you are standing for in the South End,' but he said, 'I can't do that."I would love to have your endorsement," Thieneman recalled Heiner saying shortly after the primary, "but if it means that I have to give you anything, then it's best that i don't."

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.

Rand Paul Schools Jack Conway

Rand Paul and Jack Conway just finished their last debate, and the verdict is that Paul gave far more thoughtful and original answers that did not simply regurgitate campaign ads.

To be sure, Conway, as always, played like JFK while Paul was a Nixon on camera. Conway was better coiffed and suited -- and sported an American flag lapel pin with a blue tie, in contrast to Paul's red tie and a curious, matching red circular button on Paul's suit lapel that he never explained. Also, Paul's feet, unlike Conway's, were awkwardly crossed under his chair, while Paul's left hand seemed to be constantly reaching for his coffee mug, while Conway didn't appear to take a single drink from his (or was better at sipping off camera).

But Paul's disheveled and misfit look didn't detract from his central themes, which he articulated well: that (1) President Obama's new regulations and spending are out of control and undermine real economic recovery; (2) the Democrats have refused to confront the demographic issues that create long-term funding problems for Social Security and other entitlement programs; and (3) Conway's campaign has misleadingly taken snippets from Paul's statements out of context.

Paul also got in a couple of good zingers, such as when Conway claimed that Paul's appearance on MSNBC early in the campaign was the most "painful" television to watch, which prompted Paul to respond that, no, Conway got the award for the most "painful" MSNBC moment with his recent interview with Chris Matthews regarding the Aqua Buddha ad. And speaking of Aqua Buddha, when Conway feigned great offense after Paul alluded to Conway owning a race horse and Conway said that "in Kentucky, no one attacks another man's dog or horse," Paul was quick to respond to Conway, "but attacking another man's religion is ok, right?"

Indeed, quicker is the best way to describe Paul's performance tonight, in contrast to Conway's flat-footed pace. Yes, we know about the $2,000 Medicare deductible and the 20-something percent national sales tax, Jack, so you don't have to keep repeating those talking points, and we all know they were taken out of context. And we know about the $200 billion you think will be saved when you tweak Obamacare to allow for group pharmaceutical purchasing, again thanks to your repeating your talking point over and over tonight. We also know, thanks to your repeating it constantly, that "Moodys.com" -- whatever that means -- has supposedly verified your claims. (By the way, while $200 billion seems like a lot of money, it really is a drop in the bucket compared to the multi-trillion dollar problems of future Social Security funding that you failed to address.)

Paul, in contrast, seemed ready to take on the tough issues and suggest solutions that may not be the most popular, but reflected a willingness to take risk and exercise courage. That was one of the two thoughts I had at the end of the debate. My other thought was, "thank God, the camera was on the moderator at the end" so we were spared the painful view of whether Paul would or would not shake Conway's hand. The handshaking decision was a Catch-22 for Paul: shaking would have been seen as Paul's backing down from his righteous outrage at the end of the last debate, whereas not shaking would have made Paul seem mean-spirited and even petty.

So, all in all, the night went well for Rand Paul, to whom the cameraman, in the end, was kind. We, Aqua Buddhists were pleased.
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.

New Poll Results For Lally, Yarmuth

The Lally campaign has released new poll results for Kentucky's 3rd Congressional District.

• Todd Lally: 37 percent
• John Yarmuth: 41
• undecided: 22
• margin of error: + or - 4.5

The poll was conducted by Rivercity using automated phone calls. The Lally campaign maintains that this poll is particularly accurate because it uses the RNC's voter vault methodology. However, I question whether 22 percent of KY-3 voters are undecided; that number seems way off.

Two other points to note: First, the poll shows that Lally has cut Yarmuth's lead in half . Second, Yarmuth is "upside-down." meaning he is below 50 percent. That is bad news for an incumbent, especially this close to the election.

Recall how late in the campaign Scott Brown surged. This is not over. Conservatives in Kentucky's 3rd Congressional District need to make a donation, work a phone bank and walk a precinct.