There is some rejoicing on the progressive blogs about Mitch McConnell's awesome July. Bad poll numbers, a Tea Party challenger, and a small rebellion among his Republican colleagues in the Senate. There is even a telegenic Democrat actually wanting to run against him.
Too bad my inner skunk wants to rant about this Senate race.
Where to begin? Let's start with Grimes. As Joe Sonka as pointed out, Grimes is a Blue Dog.
Grimes has so far been doing her best to avoid giving specifics, but what I have seen so far, especially on economic issues, confirms all my worst expectations. A balance budget amendment? Are you fucking kidding me Alison?
Austerity on steroids. Just what the country and Kentucky needs. The Kentucky establishment has embraced austerity, and Grimes is a daughter of the political establishment.
But the Kentucky political establishment has been pushing Blue Doggism for years, and what have we got for it? We have one Congressional Democrat in Washington now, and Yarmuth is no Blue Dog. We do have five out of six Congressman as conservative Republicans though, and we elected McConnell and Rand Paul as our Senators.
Sheer political brilliance.
Also, while I should be cheered by Matt Bevin's entrance into the race, I'm leery of the effect his message will have on the entire campaign. Bevin is already proving his nihilist intentions with "McConnell has raised the debt ceiling nine times" refrain; this will make McConnell freak out and go even further to the right.
If you don't believe me, look at how McConnell killed the recent Transportation bill. McConnell would bring some financial crumbs to the state in the past, but with Bevin calling him the bailout king and raising debt ceilings, he is now going out of his way to demonstrate that no one can out austerity him.
So I'm looking at a campaign were everyone is moving rightward to outdo each other. Forget progressive voters, where the hell are even moderate voters in Kentucky to go in 2014?