Things certainly are heating up between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R. KY) and his tea party opponent, businessman Matt Bevin (R. KY). But here's the part of the dueling that makes me laugh is McConnell attacking Bevin as the "bailout" candidate:
http://www.politico.com/...
Bevin, a wealthy Louisville businessman, is slated to announce a primary challenge against McConnell on Wednesday, hoping to tap into tea party anger to pull off a major upset against the wily 28-year Senate veteran in 2014.
But McConnell’s team is trying to prevent Bevin from even getting off the ground.
McConnell’s campaign will unveil a six-figure ad buy Wednesday dubbing its opponent “Bailout Bevin,” attacking his primary foe for obtaining $200,000 in Connecticut state grants to help his companies rebuild after a 2012 fire. Twisting the knife even further, McConnell’s ad attacks Bevin for eight local tax liens his company was assessed with for failing to pay $116,000 in taxes in recent years. A local article in 2011 painted the company, Bevin Bros., as the No. 1 tax delinquent firm in East Hampton, Conn.
“Bevin’s company failed to pay taxes, then got a taxpayer bailout,” McConnell’s campaign ad says. “Bailout Bevin: Not a Kentucky conservative.” - Politico, 7/24/13
Here's a little background info on Bevin:
http://www.nydailynews.com/...
The 46-year-old is a partner at Waycross Partners, an investment management firm, and he is now the owner of his family's bell-making company, which was founded in 1832 and is located in Connecticut.
He is a native of New Hampshire and moved to Louisville in 1999.
In response, Team Mitch called Bevin “a traveling con man.”
“His campaign is nothing more than a nuisance. Mitch McConnell will never waver is his fight for our Kentucky values,” McConnell’s staff said.
The United Kentucky Tea Party similarly spoke out after Bevin’s news broke, attacking McConnell for his “willingness to roll over and cede power to President Obama.”
The group said that if Bevin does run, it "will wholeheartedly support his campaign." - New York Daily News, 7/24/13
In response to McConnell's "bailout" claims, Bevin points out that McConnell is the real "bailout" candidate in this race:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
“Mitch McConnell has had a long career in politics. But after 30 years in politics, is his leadership really the best that we can do?” Bevin asks. ”America deserves more than failed leadership. We can do better.”
A narrator chimes in, saying that “McConnell has voted for higher taxes, bailouts, debt ceiling increases, congressional pay raises, and liberal judges.” Bevin, on the other hand, is described as a “successful businessman, father of nine, veteran, conservative, Republican.” - Washington Post, 7/24/13
Bevin didn't stop there, he really gave it to McConnell:
http://dailycaller.com/...
“With respect to a bailout, it’s interesting that a guy who has voted for literally a trillion dollars worth of bailouts for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Wall Street banks, etc., is taking issue with the fact that the people of a town and a state wanted to do something for a business that had burned down, that is historic, that is the oldest family run business in their state, and wanted to gather around, rally around, and do what they could to ensure that those jobs were saved,” Bevin said. “That these employees were not dumped onto the public system.” - The Daily Caller, 7/24/13
Bevin's add is right about one thing, McConnell loves bailouts:
http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/...
On the verge of the Senate's vote on the $700 billion bailout bill, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made one last pitch to his colleagues to support the legislation, which he praised for being born of bipartisan cooperation.
McConnell, noting that both presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain returned for the vote, said the negotiations between Republican and Democratic leaders to forge a compromise have been "unprecedented."
"I think it is one of the finest moments in the history of the Senate," he said just before the vote, which began shortly after 9 p.m.
The measure passed overwhelmingly, 74-25, with bipartisan support, including McCain and Obama.
McConnell, followed by Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid, said the compromise reached the passage "illustrates how well we’ve worked together on a bipartisan basis to try to address the difficult crisis." - Bluegrass Politics, 10/8/08
More below the fold.
And two years later, Joan Walsh even called out McConnell for trying to paint Democrats as being pro-bailout:
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/...
The Republican Party seems to have a new strategy for the Sunday shows: Use them to float the week's big political lie. Last Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell used his slot on CNN's "State of the Union" to claim the Democratic bank reform bill would commit the federal government to future "bailouts" of toxic banks, when in fact the bill outlines a new process to place such banks in bankruptcy, not bail them out. The proposed $50 billion fund to restructure such banks was called "a bailout fund," when in fact it is funded by fees on big banks, not the government. On CNN's "Reliable Sources" this week, there was broad agreement that this false storyline didn't work with the media. - Crooks & Liars, 4/26/10
I am looking forward to seeing how this primary battle plays out. Especially since right-wing groups are starting to take an interest in Bevin:
The Senate Conservatives Fund, a PAC once affiliated with former senator Jim DeMint, might back Bevin’s bid.
“We’re open to supporting Matt Bevin’s campaign and will be waiting to see if the grassroots in Kentucky unite behind him,” executive director Matt Hoskins said. “If McConnell doesn’t respect the voters enough to defend his own record, he doesn’t deserve to be in the Senate.” - Washington Post, 7/24/13
DeMint's been wanting to get revenge because the GOP has scolded him for backing candidates like Sharon Angle, Ken Buck and Christine O'Donnell and costing them the Senate in 2010. It cost him a shot at being his party's leader and the GOP put DeMint in a corner. Nobody puts DeMint in the corner. So of course DeMint's group welcomes the idea of getting behind Bevin's campaign. But some conservative groups are waiting to see how this plays out:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
“The Club for Growth PAC met with Matt Bevin many months ago, and we’d like to hear more about his candidacy and the differences between him and Senator McConnell on the issues,” said Club President Chris Chocola. “The Club’s PAC will watch Kentucky’s Senate race – as it would with any race – over the coming months to determine if our involvement is warranted.” - Washington Post, 7/24/13
Can't blame Chocola. This isn't an easy decision. But the Club For Growth has been the more successful and smarter Tea Party organization helping guys like Senators Pat Toomey (R. PA) and Keith Rothfus (R. PA-12) win their races. Also they have their bets covered in this battle:
http://www.latimes.com/...
Hours earlier, the same group urged McConnell to sign on to an effort led by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) to oppose any resolution to continue funding the government this year that includes money for implementation of the president’s new healthcare law. - Los Angeles Times, 7/24/13
The beauty behind this primary fight is it pits the Tea Party against itself. See we all know McConnell has been sucking up to the Tea Party for a while now. He's been doing a hell of a job keeping up with it:
http://www.politico.com/...
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell played host to the Tea Party caucus on Tuesday, embracing a movement that for years the Washington Republican establishment was hesitant to warm up to. That seemed to change on Tuesday, as even Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was dragged into the gathering by activists.
Nearly a quarter of the Senate Republican caucus as well as a larger faction of House Republicans huddled in the Strom Thurmond room, located near the office space of McConnell. Two members of McConnell’s leadership team also attended: Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the Vice Chairman of the Republican Conference.
“We’re all tea partiers now,” joked Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas), who also attended Tuesday’s gathering. Like McConnell, Cornyn is up for reelection in 2014. ”Every political party is a coalition, and the tea party is an important part of our coalition.” - Politico, 7/23/13
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D. NV) sees McConnell's sycophantic style it a little differently:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Speaking to supporters of the pro-Obama advocacy group Organizing for Action gathered at Washington hotel for a day-long strategy meeting, Reid said McConnell was tied in the polls with his Democratic challenger in Kentucky and gloated that it appeared that the Senate GOP leader had picked up a primary challenger.
“He tried to make love to the tea party and they didn’t like it,” Reid said. - Washington Post, 7/22/13
Wow, thanks for sticking that image in our heads there, Harry. Go have a drink then come back and the read the rest of this. I'll wait.
You're back? Good. Ok, so McConnell's doing everything that he can to please the Tea Party and he was on a roll herding them in:
http://atr.rollcall.com/...
Speaking with reporters outside an event that featured appearances by all of the prominent tea-party-backed senators, Scottie Hughes of TPNN.com defended her group’s decision to back the Kentucky Republican. McConnell helped the group organize the event in the Capitol.
Both Hughes’ Tea Party News Network and its umbrella organization TheTeaParty.net have endorsed McConnell, even though he is expected to pick up a tea-party-inspired primary challenger on Wednesday. Local groups in Kentucky have asked the national groups to rescind their support.
“Sen. McConnell has been a very strong supporter of us for the past year, and when you look at it, the other thing that the tea party needs to do is we need to win, and we need to make sure that we’re winning with the most conservative candidate,” Hughes said. “We’re getting good candidates who really are going to win, and we want to make sure that they’re not weakened going into the Democratic challenger.” - Roll Call, 7/23/13
But ol' Mitch could never win over all the teabaggers:
Louisville television station WHAS reported Monday that 15 local tea party groups sent a letter to The Tea Party.Net and Tea Party Nation, asking them to withdraw their endorsement of McConnell.
“Senator McConnell’s Progressive Liberal voting record, his absolute iron fisted rule over the Republican Party in Kentucky and his willingness to roll over and cede power to President Obama and the Liberals in Washington, prove that he is no friend to the American people or the citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” the letter says, according to WHAS. - Roll Call, 7/23/13
But with Bevin jumping into the race, it's a whole new ball game. Not to mention, a tea party on tea party fight can be a real pain in the ass for this guy as well:
Another complicating factor for the Club and SCF: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). The tea party favorite is squarely behind McConnell, and even reiterated his support on Wednesday. What’s more, McConnell’s campaign manager is Jesse Benton, a Paul loyalist.
So, going up against McConnell means going up against Paul. And doing that without the right candidate would be a foolhardy mission that could backfire for conservative groups. - Washington Post, 7/24/13
And if Bevin runs this type of campaign, it could put Paul's Tea Party credibility into question over his support for McConnell:
Bevin slammed McConnell as a “big proponent of increased taxes,” a “proponent of pork barrel spending” and as “someone who doesn’t have a tremendous amount of respect for the constitution.”
“He’s been an unapologetic supporter of the Patriot Act,” Bevin said. - The Daily Caller, 7/24/13
So yeah, it's going to be interesting. But here's something to think about:
Democrats say McConnell’s concern over a primary threat has led him to mount what they call unprecedented obstruction of Senate business this year. - Los Angeles Times, 7/24/13
If you think he's an asshole obstructionist now, imagine how he's going to be if Bevin's campaign really gains traction and makes things seriously competitive for McConnell. So we shall have to wait and see how this plays out. But it sure is great seeing McConnell get it from all ends:
http://tv.msnbc.com/...
But while he’s still the favorite in both fights, he’ll have to look over his shoulder both ways, and Democrats are giddy that Bevin could put a chink in the GOP leader’s armor for their top candidate, Kentucky’s Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes. The Democratic Super Majority PAC piled on, too, this week, with its latest ad against McConnell, slamming him as a “guardian of gridlock.”
“[McConnell] has tried to pander to the far right, and some of that has made a difference with Republicans, but I think the support is soft,” said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee communications director Matt Canter. “There’s a strong personal distrust among the far right for McConnell, and the right tea party candidate can certainly seize on it.” - MSNBC, 7/24/13
Check out the latest ad:
Good stuff, huh? Alison Lundergan Grimes's (D. KY) campaign officially kicks off on July 30th in Lexington. You can go here to sign up for her campaign:
http://www.AlisonForKentucky.com/
Or you can click here to donate to her campaign:
https://secure.actblue.com/...