https://www.dailykos.com/news/TomFitzGerald News Community Action Copyright 2005 - Steal what you want Mon, 27 Jan 2020 16:09:36 +0000 Mon, 27 Jan 2020 16:09:36 +0000 Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) https://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/6/6/1214057/-Daily-Kos-Elections-Morning-Digest-Gary-Peters-leads-all-Republicans-in-Michigan-Senate-race <div class="dkimg-c"><a href="http://campaigns.dailykos.com/signup_page/electionsdigest"><img src="http://images1.dailykos.com/i/user/73/Elections-MorningDigest.jpg" alt="Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest banner" height="100" width="550" /></a> <div class="dkimg-cap">Want the scoop on hot races around the country? Get the digest emailed to you each weekday morning. <a href="http://campaigns.dailykos.com/signup_page/electionsdigest">Sign up here</a>.</div> </div> <b>Leading Off</b>: <p>• <b>MI-Sen</b>: <a href="http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2013/06/peters-leads-gop-field-in-michigan.html">The Senate portion</a> of PPP's new Michigan poll is now available, and it brings good news for Dem Rep. Gary Peters, who leads all of his actual and potential GOP opponents:<br /></p> <blockquote>• 41-36 vs. ex-SoS Terri Lynn Land<br /> • 42-32 vs. Rep. Mike Rogers<br /> • 42-30 vs. Rep. Justin Amash<br /> • 43-31 vs. Rep. Dave Camp<br /> • 42-26 vs. Judge Kimberly Small<br /> • 44-26 vs. state Sen. Roger Kahn<br /> • 44-26 vs. physician Rob Steele<br /> • 44-24 vs. ex-state party chair Saul Anuzis</blockquote> Land is the only declared Republican so far, but despite greater name recognition (29-21 favorables, versus 18-16 for Peters), she still trails by 5 points. The matchup with Rogers is instructive: He has almost identical ratings to Peters but sits 10 points back in the head-to-heads. You can simply chalk this up to Michigan's clear blue lean. Since 1972, the state has only elected a Republican senator once, and that was during the GOP wave year of 1994. It's Peters who has far more room to grow here, and despite Land's seeming closeness, she's at a sizable disadvantage. <p>PPP also has numbers on a kitchen sink GOP primary with all of the above names, and one notable fact stands out:<br /></p> <blockquote>Camp: 21<br /> Rogers: 18<br /> Amash: 16<br /> Land: 15<br /> Anuzis: 7<br /> Small: 2<br /> Kahn: 1<br /> Steele: 1</blockquote> As Tom Jensen points out, "Land's fourth-place showing indicates this is another situation where the candidate who might give Republicans the best chance of winning in November is not necessarily the one they actually want to run." However, everyone is bunched together quite closely, so I wouldn't read too much into anyone's relative standing. What's more, as I say just above, Land's smaller gap against Peters is almost certainly a result of name recognition, so I suspect that if Rogers were to run and get better known, he'd soon catch up to Land. But catching up to Peters? That's a whole different story. rss@dailykos.com (David Nir) AK-LG AlisonLunderganGrimes AndrewMaguire AR-Sen BarbaraBuono BruceRauner ChetCulver ChrisChristie DanSullivan DaveCamp DKEMorningDigest E.W. Jackson EdMarkey Elections GabrielGomez GaryPeters HarperPolling HeatherFrenchHenry IA-Gov IL-Gov JackHatch JasonSmith JustinAmash KimberlySmall KirkDillard KY-Sen LCV MA-Sen MarkPryor MI-Sen MichaelFitzgerald MikeDoherty MikeGronstal MikeRogers MitchMcConnell MO-08 NE-Sen NJ-05 NJ-Gov NJ-Sen Polls PublicPolicyPolling RobSteele RogerKahn RushHolt SaulAnuzis ScottRigell SenateConservativesFund SteveHodges SteveLonegan SteveOBan TerriLynnLand TomFitzGerald TomVilsack TylerOlson VA-LG WA-St. Sen WA-StSen WenzelStrategies _1214057 Thu, 06 Jun 2013 12:00:10 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/5/9/1207360/-KY-Sen-Mitch-McConnell-R-Goes-After-Gov-Steve-Beshear-D-KY-For-Agreeing-To-Expand-Medicaid <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/31602/large/Mitch_McConnell_Senate_Republicans_Speak_Media_85NPsxXaOcxl.jpg?1368138235" alt="" /></span></div> Today, Governor Steve Beshear (D. KY) did the right thing: <p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/09/kentucky-medicaid-expansion_n_3246584.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...</a><br /></p> <blockquote> <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/31600/large/SteveBeshear-GageSkidmore.jpg?1368137495" alt="" /></span></div> Gov. Steve Beshear (D) announced Kentucky would participate in a key element of President Barack Obama's health care plan to enroll more people in Medicaid. <p>Beshear tweeted the news Thursday afternoon:<br /></p> <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/31599/large/Screen_Shot_2013-05-09_at_3.08.54_PM.png?1368137382" alt="" /></span></div> Beshear is one of the last governors in the country to announce his position on Medicaid expansion, a plan that has faced difficulty thanks to Republican infighting. - Huffington Post, 5/9/13</blockquote> Governor Beshear defended his decision to expand Medicaid: <p><a href="http://www.wlwt.com/news/local-news/news-northern-kentucky/beshear-expands-medicaid-to-300000-kentuckians/-/13608792/20085724/-/vg6kdm/-/index.html">http://www.wlwt.com/...</a><br /></p> <blockquote> <div class="dkimg-l"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/31601/small/gan-religious-override-032613-4_3_r536_c534.jpg?1368137693" alt="" /></span></div> "The bottom line is it's the right thing to do," Beshear said.<br /> Beshear said he made the decision after completing research that found Kentucky will benefit in terms of health and financial outcomes by expanding Medicaid coverage. <p>"In fact, if we don't expand Medicaid, we will lose money," he said.</p> <p>The government health care program already provides medical coverage to some 800,000 residents. Under the Affordable Care Act, Kentucky had the option of expanding coverage to some 308,000 additional people with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. That means individuals making up to $15,860 a year would be eligible as would a family of four making up to $32,499.</p> <p>Washington will pick up the entire cost of the expansion for the first three years, and 90 percent over the longer haul. - WLWT, 5/9/13</p> </blockquote> And of course, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R. KY) ain't happy about that: <p><a href="http://www.wfpl.org/post/senator-mitch-mcconnell-questions-governors-decision-expand-medicaid">http://www.wfpl.org/...</a><br /></p> <blockquote> <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/31598/large/mitch-mcconnell.jpg?1368137276" alt="" /></span></div> "Given Kentucky’s struggles to finance its current Medicaid program and the uncertainty of future federal funding, I am surprised the governor would make this decision to further implement Obamacare and expose the commonwealth’s taxpayers to more open ended expenses they cannot afford," McConnell said in a statement. <p>"Additionally, in my travels across Kentucky I have talked to a number of health care professionals who are concerned that a dramatic expansion of Medicaid enrollment would obviously exacerbate the already serious access-to-care problems we face in Kentucky."</p> <p>Right now, Kentucky's Medicaid program costs about $6 billion.<br /></p> <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/31603/large/111108_kentuckygov9_ap_328.jpg?1368138290" alt="" /></span></div> The governor countered McConnell's argument during a press conference, citing a study that shows President Obama's health care law will actually bring $800 million to the state. <p>Currently, the federal government pays 70 percent of Medicaid costs and the state is responsible for the remaining 30 percent. When this provision begins, the Affordable Care Act will pick up 100 percent of the cost for the first three years. - WFPL News 89.3, 5/9/13</p> </blockquote> Meanwhile, the Kentucky GOP is trying to discourage Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes (D. KY) from running against McConnell: <p><a href="http://www.whas11.com/community/blogs/political-blog/GOP--206747111.html">http://www.whas11.com/...</a><br /></p> <blockquote> <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/31616/large/s846-110517SOSmc169.aurora_standalone.prod_affiliate.79.jpg?1368147903" alt="" /></span></div> As Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes mulls whether to challenge U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell in 2014, the Kentucky Republican Party is eager to cast doubts on Grimes' potential candidacy, calling it "a last ditch effort to recruit a candidate of even second-tier credibility" and questioning whether other Democrats have ulterior motives. <p>Sources close to Grimes, however, are dismissing the critique as evidence that Republicans fear taking on the first term office-holder and tell WHAS11 News that Grimes is the only potential candidate to be approached by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee after one-time Senate hopeful Ashley Judd approached national Democrats yet subsequently removed her name from consideration.</p> <p>"Practically every in-state Democrat has called upon her to challenge Sen. (Mitch) McConnell, after passing on the opportunity themselves," said Kelsey Cooper, Communications Director for the Republican Party of Kentucky (RPK). &nbsp;"But it brings to question – why her? &nbsp;And could they just be serving their own political interests by pushing her into this highly contentious race?"</p> <p>Yet Democrats suggest the buzz around Grimes' potential Senate candidacy indicates her strength as a candidate rather than a weak field.<br /></p> <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/31617/large/jack_conway_kentucky_democrat_for_us_senate_could_beat_rand_paul.jpg?1368147955" alt="" /></span></div> Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway told WHAS11 on Wednesday that Grimes has a lot of options, including as his or another Democrat's running mate in the 2015 governor's race. <p>"I think she would be an attractive running mate for anyone," Conway said, "and is an attractive candidate. &nbsp;She has a lot of options. She could run for the senate, she could run for Congress, she could potentially run for Attorney General, she could run for reelection. I could see her being a governor herself down the road, someday," Conway said.<br /></p> <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/31618/large/Kentucky-to-raise-school-dropout-age-to-18.jpg?1368148125" alt="" /></span></div> One of several other potential Democratic candidates for attorney general is Andrew Beshear. &nbsp;His father, Governor Steve Beshear, has met with Grimes and at least two other possible Senate candidates. &nbsp; <p>"I hope she'll jump into the (senate) race," Beshear told WHAS11 on Wednesday. &nbsp;"I think we can win."</p> <p>Yet if Grimes decides not to run for Senate, the governor said he hopes the ongoing discussions will produce "a good, strong candidate." - WHAS 11, 5/9/13</p> </blockquote> But Grimes is not going to let McConnell and the GOP intimidate her: <p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/03/alison-lundergan-grimes-mitch-mcconnell_n_3208582.html?utm_hp_ref=politics">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...</a><br /></p> <blockquote> <div class="dkimg-r"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/30780/small/grimes4.jpg?1367598239" alt="" /></span></div> Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) said she won't "be bullied" into making any immediate decisions about running against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), WHAS11 reported on Thursday. <p>Grimes referred to leaked tapes first reported by Mother Jones, featuring McConnell discussing potential strategies for taking on actress and activist Ashley Judd, who was considering a run against him. McConnell's aides were recorded discussing Judd's potential political weaknesses, including her religious beliefs and mental health.</p> <p>"I won't be bullied into any decision," Grimes told WHAS11. "I will tell you that the bully tactics that we see displayed are a continuation of those exemplified in the recording that has surfaced by Mitch McConnell. And this Kentucky woman won't be bullied." - Huffington Post, 5/3/13</p> </blockquote> By the way, McConnell's already attacking another potential candidate who has yet to declare his run: <p><a href="http://www.wfpl.org/post/mitch-mcconnells-office-promotes-op-ed-attacking-potential-challenger-tom-fitzgerald">http://www.wfpl.org/...</a><br /></p> <blockquote> <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/31620/large/100913_mitch_mcconnell_ap_328.jpg?1368148368" alt="" /></span></div> In an opinion piece published in the Richmond Register this week, Bluegrass Institute acting president Jim Waters heaps praise on the legislation recently introduced by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell to force the Environmental Protection Agency’s hand in approving or denying coal mine permits. <p>McConnell’s office tweeted a link to the op-ed twice (today and yesterday), which makes sense because it’s an article about the legislation the GOP leader introduced to expedite the EPA’s regulatory timeline. But it’s also an article attacking environmental attorney Tom FitzGerald, who has said he’s flirting with the idea of challenging McConnell as a Democrat in next year’s election.<br /></p> <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/31619/large/vDJda.AuSt.79.jpeg?1368148300" alt="" /></span></div> Waters’ piece pits McConnell and FitzGerald against each other, and paints the environmental activist—who’s known for working pretty well with industry when he advocates for stricter regulations—as clueless and out of touch with the minutiae of coal mine permits. <p>Few would argue that the EPA’s tighter regulations haven’t had an effect on the state’s coal industry, but those regulations have also come with numerous other factors that have made it less appealing to mine and burn coal.</p> <p>Even so, it’s hard to call the coal industry “amazingly resilient” when it’s having trouble adapting to the changing landscape, regulations and all. When American Electric Power announced it would retire at least part of its Big Sandy coal-fired power plant in Eastern Kentucky, it was because it couldn’t justify that continued coal burning was the least-cost option for rate payers, and other power plants are following suit. - WFPL News 89.3, 5/7/13</p> </blockquote> And when he's not out attacking potential candidates or Beshear for caring about the people of Kentucky, McConnell is pathetically trying to copy President Obama's re-election strategy: <p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/09/mitch-mcconnell_n_3244721.html?utm_hp_ref=politics">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...</a><br /></p> <blockquote> <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/31545/large/McConnell-beer.jpg?1368116315" alt="" /></span></div> Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is taking a page from President Obama’s reelection playbook for his own campaign — embracing Internet memes, data mining and cinematic storytelling. <p>“They set the gold standard for digital engagement in 2012,” Jesse Benton, McConnell’s campaign manager, said of the Obama team.</p> <p>“I think it’s just natural that you look to your competitor to find best practices, implement what they’re doing that’s the best and try to find additional, new things on your own to improve that.”</p> <p>McConnell’s effort is born out of political necessity.</p> <p>The Senate minority leader, who is seeking a sixth term in 2014, is saddled by low approval ratings that rank him as one of the country’s least popular senators. - The Hill, 5/9/13</p> </blockquote> Yep, he's so unpopular that he has to resort to this: <p><a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2013/05/the-how-well-do-you-know-mitch-mcconnell-quiz-is-a-star-map-to-the-soul">http://www.vanityfair.com/...</a><br /></p> <blockquote> <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/31615/large/i.1.mcconnell.jpg?1368147308" alt="" /></span></div> Politico has posted a quiz called “How Well Do You Know Mitch McConnell?”, a Seventeen magazine–style questionnaire that will reveal your innermost secrets, wishes, and desires . . . to yourself. Is it “like” or “love” with Brett C.? Are you really ready to wear makeup? And is your style sending guys the wrong signal? <p>The ten questions of the “How Well Do You Know Mitch McConnell?” quiz do not address these important subjects directly, per se—nor do they provide a key at the end addressing how many questions one would have had to answer correctly in order to qualify as a certain kind of person. That is why we have provided the following addendum. Take Politico’s quiz, count your correct answers, and circle back this-a-way for an atlas to your soul. - Vanity Fair, 5/6/13</p> </blockquote> And this: <p><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/johnstanton/mitch-mcconnell-really-wants-you-to-know-he-loves-the-kentuc">http://www.buzzfeed.com/...</a></p> <blockquote><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tyDQHa2H1Ho" frameborder="0" defang_allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <p>According to a campaign source, the technology, which is similar to event-specific advertising campaigns used by companies during this year' Super Bowl, will target "mobile devices of people within a 5 mile radius of Churchill Downs. The ads will appear in apps and mobile versions of websites that would be commonly used at the event."<br /> Aides said the ad is designed to be a simple expression of McConnell's pride in his home state. "Mitch loves Kentucky and always celebrates the Derby. He hopes to remind everyone why this weekend is so special and share his pride with the many visitors from across the country and around the world," McConnell campaign manager Jesse Benton said.</p> <p>Indeed, the idea of branding McConnell directly to Kentucky has long been a hallmark of his political career, a fact that the schools, buildings and roads around the state named after him bare testament to.</p> <p>And for a politician who's spent decades in Washington, maintaining a high profile link to your home state can be critical. Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, former Sen. Richard Lugar and scores of other skilled politicians have been pushed out of office thanks to charges of becoming "inside the beltway." - BuzzFeed, 5/3/13</p> </blockquote> And of course this: <p><iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/07SxpNsYZSs" frameborder="0" defang_allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p>Now this shit might work in eastern Kentucky but maybe not the entire state:</p> <p><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/05/06/180899303/mcconnell-tries-to-show-hes-still-at-home-in-kentucky">http://www.npr.org/...</a><br /></p> <blockquote> <div class="dkimg-r"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/31621/small/mitch-mcconnell-troubled-budget-crisis.jpg?1368148407" alt="" /></span></div> In eastern Kentucky, McConnell's job is easy. Voters tend to be single-issue: A politician is either for coal or against coal. But while it's a love fest for McConnell here, his approval ratings statewide are sagging, depending on what poll you read. <p>Walk the streets of downtown Lexington, and it's easy to find someone who thinks McConnell is spending all of his time in Washington just trying to obstruct the president, instead of paying attention to what Kentuckians want.</p> <p>"He has a personal agenda," says Charles Embry, "and that's all he's attending to is his personal agenda.</p> <p>"It's obvious that he doesn't take the interests of Kentucky people at heart. If he did, he would do the things that are right instead of being negative about everything that the president or anybody else is trying to do." - NPR, 5/6/13</p> </blockquote> One can only hope that Kentucky voters won't fall for McConnell's meme and video bull shit next year. rss@dailykos.com (poopdogcomedy) 2014 2014election 2014KentuckyU.SSenateRace 2014midterms Affordable Health Care Act AffordableCareAct AlisonLunderganGrimes Barack Obama BarackObama Climate Change ClimateChange Coal Democrats Election 2014 Election2014 Environment EPA GOP JackConway Kentucky KentuckyDerby KY-Sen Medicaid MedicaidExpansion Memes MitchMcConnell Obama Obamacare President Barack Obama President Obama Republicans Senate SteveBeshear Tea Party TeaParty TomFitzGerald Twitter U.S. Senate Vote Vote 2014 Vote2014 YouTube _1207360 Fri, 10 May 2013 01:19:35 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/4/26/1204849/-Daily-Kos-Elections-Morning-Digest-Sanford-publishes-phone-numbers-of-ordinary-folks-who-called-him <div class="dkimg-c"><a href="http://campaigns.dailykos.com/signup_page/electionsdigest"><img src="http://images1.dailykos.com/i/user/73/Elections-MorningDigest.jpg" alt="Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest banner" height="100" width="550" /></a> <div class="dkimg-cap">Want the scoop on hot races around the country? Get the digest emailed to you each weekday morning. <a href="http://campaigns.dailykos.com/signup_page/electionsdigest">Sign up here</a>.</div> </div> <b>Leading Off</b>: <p>• <b>SC-01</b>: Wow! What a raging jagoff! So I'm sure you recall that the other day, Mark Sanford had the brilliant idea to run <a href="http://scsoapbox.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/sanford-ad.jpg">a full-page newspaper ad</a> filled with an incredibly lengthy and self-serving series of b.s. explanations for why he trespassed at his ex-wife's home, followed by a whole lot of moaning about negative ads being run by Democrats, and capped off with a comparison of his situation to that of the men who defended the Alamo (who, of course, almost all died). In the middle, though, Sanford made this bizarre offer:<br /></p> <blockquote>The Democrats' ads will tell you none of this, so if you have further questions, go to <u>www.marksanford.com</u>, call me at the campaign office at 843-764-9188, or even on my cell at 843-367-1010.</blockquote> "Desperate" and "weird" hardly begin to describe it, but one of the groups whose ads Sanford complained about, the House Majority PAC, decided to take him up on it. In a post-script <a href="http://images.dailykos.com/i/user/73/Mark_Sanford_phone_number_email.pdf">to a fundraising email</a>, they reprinted Sanford's cell phone number and suggested that their supporters "[g]ive him a call and ask why he spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on luxury travel." A number of them did just that, so guess what Sanford did in response? <p>He published the phone numbers of the people who called him. These are ordinary citizens—perhaps a little brasher than average—but I'm sure they had no expectation that their numbers would get printed on Mark Sanford's campaign website. I don't want to even link to the document Sanford originally posted, but <a href="http://images.dailykos.com/i/user/73/Mark_Sanford_phone_number_email.pdf">here's a redacted version</a>, and to be clear, every black box you see obscures a number that Sanford had no problem reproducing in full:<br /></p> <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/29658/large/Mark_Sanford_phone_log.png?1366923080" alt="Redacted version of Mark Sanford's cell phone log" /></span></div> You'll notice that all the numbers are from out-of-state, so I'm guessing Sanford wanted to make some kind of point that no one from South Carolina cared to ring him up—though iPhone users can prune their call logs, so Sanford may have erased any Palmetto State callers. (Anyhow, with the prevalence of cell phones these days, area codes no longer mean much.) Of course, the more important point is that Mark Sanford is an absolute schmuckface for publicizing the personal information of average Americans who had the temerity to take him up on his offer to talk to him. Sadly, though, that's hardly a surprise. I guess the only real question is, did he ever even answer the phone? rss@dailykos.com (David Nir) AK-Gov BannonResearch BillDaley BillHaslam BillNelson BillWalker Charles Djou CharlesDjou CurtisHarris DCCC DKEMorningDigest EdMarkey ElizabethColbertBusch EricGarcetti EvandraThompson FEC FL-Gov FlorenceFarley HI-01 IkaikaAnderson IL-Gov JosephMorrissey KellyAyotte KY-Sen LAmayor LCV LindaLingle LionelSpruill MA-Sen Mark Sanford MarkSanford MarkTakai MN-02 MovementFund NH-Sen NikkiHaley Polls PublicPolicyPolling RosalynDance SC-01 SC-Gov SonaMehring StephenLynch SurveyUSA TN-Gov TomFitzGerald UNH VA-StHouse WendyGreuel WillEspero _1204849 Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:00:12 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/4/24/1204601/-A-New-Challenger-for-Mitch-McConnell <p>Crossposted from <a href="http://www.hillbillyreport.org/diary/4580/a-new-challenger-for-mitch-mcconnell">Hillbilly Report.</a></p> <p>Since Ashley Judd declined to run against the Senator for Communist China Mitch McConnell he has yet to draw a big name challenge from the Democratic side. Thus far also, the Kentucky Tea party has whined and bickered but have shown themselves as all talk and no backbone and have failed to produce a primary challenger. So far only two candidates have stepped up to attempt to take this seat back from the Communist Chinese. Louisville musician and music promoter Bennie J. Smith and former Congressional candidate and contractor whom we respect greatly here, Ed Marksberry. That could be changing soon.</p> rss@dailykos.com (RDemocrat) 2014 elections 2014elections AlisonLunderganGrimes CongressionalElections KY-Sen MitchMcConnell Senate TomFitzGerald _1204601 Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:35:16 +0000 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/4/24/1204399/-KY-Sen-Gabby-Giffords-D-Group-Going-After-Mitch-McConnell-R-For-Voting-Against-Gun-Control <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/29424/large/payroll23n-1-web.jpg?1366800642" alt="" /></span></div> Gabby Giffords is someone you don't reckon with: <p><a href="http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130424/NEWS01/304240114/1001/Sen-Mitch-McConnell-s-gun-vote-prompts-ad-from-Gabby-Giffords-group">http://www.courier-journal.com/...</a><br /></p> <blockquote> <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/29522/large/Giffords-Senate11-620x362.jpeg?1366847105" alt="" /></span></div> A gun safety group founded by former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords began running radio ads in Kentucky on Wednesday charging that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s opposition to background checks ignores the will of his constituents. <p>“Eighty-two percent of Kentuckians support universal background checks. But Senator McConnell voted against them,” the ad says. “McConnell opposed common-sense checks to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.”</p> <p>The ads are sponsored by Americans for Responsible Solutions, started by Giffords and her husband, former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly. Giffords was shot in the head during a district event in Tucson on Jan. 8, 2011. Six people died and 12 others in addition to the congresswoman were injured in the shooting.<br /></p> <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/29523/large/cdn-media.nationaljournal.com.jpeg?1366847150" alt="" /></span></div> Her group backed a Senate amendment aimed at expanding background checks on gun purchasers. While a majority of the Senate supported the checks on April 17, the measure fell six votes short of the 60 votes needed for passage. McConnell, R-Ky., voted against the amendment. <p>The radio spots are airing in Louisville and Lexington with a buy of a little more than $50,000, according to Jen Bluestein, spokeswoman for the Giffords group. - Louisville Courier-Journal, 4/24/13</p> </blockquote> You can listen to the radio ad here: <p><a href="http://soundcloud.com/responsible-solutions/radio-ad-mitch-mcconnell">http://soundcloud.com/...</a></p> <p>And Giffords group isn't going to stop there:</p> <p><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/04/24/giffords-guns-background-checks-ads/2109537/">http://www.usatoday.com/...</a><br /></p> <blockquote> <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/29423/large/166827240.jpg.CROP.rectangle3-large.jpg?1366800628" alt="" /></span></div> Giffords, a former congresswoman and Democrat, and Kelly, her husband and a retired astronaut, have become vocal advocates for gun control since she was severely wounded in a shooting rampage in 2011 in Tucson. Giffords wrote last week that she was "furious" after the Senate vote. <p>Americans for Responsible Solutions says it will release more ads this week targeting other senators for their gun votes. Ads are also planned to thank senators who voted for the expanded background checks on gun buyers. - USA Today, 4/24/13</p> </blockquote> Here's McConnell's response to the ad: <p><a href="http://www.wfpl.org/post/gabrielle-giffordss-super-pac-slams-mitch-mcconnell-over-gun-background-check-vote">http://www.wfpl.org/...</a><br /></p> <blockquote> <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/29524/large/mitch_mcconnell5.jpg?1366847217" alt="U.S. Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during an interview with Reuters in Washington August 2, 2010. REUTERS/Jim Young (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2GZIK" /></span></div> In the aftermath of the victory, the McConnell campaign was celebratory in fundraising messages and social networking, but in a response to the Giffords ad it took a more reconciliatory tone. <p>"Sen. McConnell commends Gabby Giffords for her courage and perseverance, but in Kentucky we have a fundamental disagreement with a gun-control agenda," McConnell campaign manager Jesse Benton told USA Today. "President Obama's allies have been attacking Sen. McConnell on this issue for months but his support for Kentuckians' Second Amendment rights will not waiver." - WFPL News, 89.3, 4/24/13</p> </blockquote> This isn't the first time McConnell's been attacked for his stance on gun control. &nbsp;Bold Progressives were filling local airwaves in Kentucky with attack ads on McConnell's pro-gun ties: <p><iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UmVLznif9u0" frameborder="0" defang_allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p>McConnell has been fundraising and gloating about killing universal background checks with stupid memes like this on his Facebook page:<br /></p> <div class="dkimg-c"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/29521/large/17324_552665124756002_385013817_n.jpg?1366846118" alt="" /></span></div> But with his approval ratings in the tank and pro-gun control groups like Giffords hitting McConnell in the airwaves, McConnell is running scared and gearing up to fight back: <p><a href="http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130424/NEWS01/304240093/PAC-supporting-Sen-Mitch-McConnell-says-will-spend-record-amount">http://www.courier-journal.com/...</a><br /></p> <blockquote> <div class="dkimg-r"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/29526/small/mitch-mcconnell.jpg?1366847382" alt="" /></span></div> It’s now clear that a new political action committee’s primary goal will be to help U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell win re-election. And the group says it will spend a boatload of cash to do so. <p>Three weeks ago, a senior adviser for Kentuckians for Strong Leadership said that the group’s goal was to be involved in federal races in Kentucky and that McConnell’s re-election would be within the group’s “purview.”</p> <p>But in a release issued Tuesday, Kentuckians for Strong Leadership made clear that the race isn’t just in its purview but is its primary objective.</p> <p>“President Obama and his liberal allies know they can’t achieve the rest of their big government agenda unless they take out Senator Mitch McConnell, and we will raise and spend whatever it takes to prevent that from happening,” Scott Jennings, a senior adviser to the group, said in a release.</p> <p>“Obama’s allies have demonstrated they will stoop to dishonest, gutter-level tactics because they know McConnell is the most effective firewall Kentucky has against the Obama agenda,” said Jennings, who is also a part-time columnist for The Courier-Journal. - Louisville Courier-Journal, 4/24/13</p> </blockquote> Here's a list of who's on the board of the Kentuckians for Strong Leadership Super PAC: <p><a href="http://www.kentucky.com/2013/04/23/2612570/new-group-formed-to-support-mcconnells.html">http://www.kentucky.com/...</a><br /></p> <blockquote>■ Steven Law, president of American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS. He is a former Deputy Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush, chief of staff to U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell and executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. <p>■ Riggs Lewis, a partner in The Rotunda Group, a Kentucky-based government affairs firm. Lewis is an attorney and has been a Republican political consultant on numerous local, state and federal campaigns. He is a well-known business leader in Louisville.</p> <p>■ Gail Russell, a partner with a Louisville law firm. Russell was formerly Kentucky's Republican National Committeewoman. - Kentucky.com, 4/23/13</p> </blockquote> The fact that we have McConnell on the run and that has already has to spend big to combat these attacks shows that he's scared of losing and he should be. &nbsp;Now all we need is a candidate and hopefully she'll be making her decision very soon: <p><a href="http://www.kentucky.com/2013/04/23/2612079/grimes-still-pondering-a-run-against.html">http://www.kentucky.com/...</a><br /></p> <blockquote> <div class="dkimg-l"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/29527/small/2WEZb.AuSt.79.jpeg?1366847431" alt="" /></span></div> After a busy legislative session and a business trip to Taiwan, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is pondering whether to run for the U.S. Senate next year against Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell. <p>Grimes, a Democrat, said Tuesday she is "now going to take the time to reflect with my family, my supporters on how I can best continue to serve the Commonwealth of Kentucky."</p> <p>Grimes did not set a timetable for making a decision, saying only that she will "give it the due diligence it deserves."</p> <p>Political observers differ on how quickly Grimes should decide.</p> <p>"There's more pressure on her now to run than need be," said University of Kentucky political science professor Donald Gross, noting that primary elections in the U.S. Senate race are still 13 months away.</p> <p>But Democratic consultant Danny Briscoe of Louisville said delaying a decision could hurt Grimes' future political career.</p> <p>"Her negative ratings will go up, thanks to McConnell attacks, and help her opponents if she's really thinking about future state races like governor or attorney general," Briscoe said. "If it takes six weeks for her to decide, the McConnell camp will spend $500,000 attacking her. How much more information does she need?" - Lexington Herald-Leader, 4/23/13</p> </blockquote> The sooner Grimes can make her decision, the better. &nbsp;I understand it's a big decision to make but the longer she waits the more money McConnell raises and can spend attacking her. &nbsp;Balls in her court. &nbsp;So far contractor Ed Marksberry of Owensboro and Louisville musician and music promoter Bennie J. Smith have said they will challenge McConnell. &nbsp;However, a new name has come about that we should keep our eye on: <p><a href="http://www.kentucky.com/2013/04/24/2613883/environmental-lawyer-tom-fitzgerald.html">http://www.kentucky.com/...</a><br /></p> <blockquote> <div class="dkimg-r"><span class="image_container"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/29528/small/vDJda.AuSt.79.jpeg?1366847559" alt="" /></span></div> Tom FitzGerald, whose name is synonymous with environmental protection in Kentucky, is considering a possible run for the U.S. Senate next year against Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell. <p>"This is very preliminary," FitzGerald, a lawyer and director of the Kentucky Resources Council, said Wednesday in a telephone interview. "You've heard of testing the waters. I haven't even taken off my shoes yet."</p> <p>FitzGerald, a lifelong Democrat who has never sought public office, said he is being encouraged to challenge McConnell and thinks McConnell's tenure in the U.S. Senate since January 1985 should come to an end.</p> <p>"I've seen the devolution of McConnell as a progressive, modern county judge in Jefferson County to an increasingly right-wing politician who is defined more by protecting power than meeting the needs of Kentuckians," he said.</p> <p>FitzGerald, 58, said he expects to make a decision about the U.S. Senate race by mid-May.</p> <p>If he runs, FitzGerald said he would resign his job with the non-profit resources council, which he has held since 1984. - Lexington Herald-Leader, 4/24/13</p> </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (poopdogcomedy) 2014 2014KentuckyU.SSenateRace 2014midterms AmericansforResponsibleSolutions bold progressives boldprogressives Democrats EdMarksberry Election 2014 Election2014 Gabby Giffords GabbyGiffords GOP Gun Control GunControl Guns Kentucky KentuckyResourcesCouncil KY-Sen LiaisonLundergranGrimes MarkKelly MitchMcConnell NRA PCCC Republicans SandyHookShooting Senate Tea Party TeaParty TomFitzGerald U.S. Senate UniversalBackgroundChecks Vote Vote 2014 Vote2014 _1204399 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:57:20 +0000