I’m thrilled to report that the next Senator from the state of Kentucky has just announced his candidacy this morning. Our state’s 11-year nightmare of Jim Bunning is about to end in November 2010, and here is the man that will end it.
As you can see in his announcement video on his site, Conway will have his official in-person rally to kick off his campaign Monday in Louisville. I can’t go into all of the details now, but let’s just say that Ben Chandler, Crit Luallen, John Yarmuth, and about every big KY Democrat past and present whose name isn’t Steve Beshear will be there. And a “surprise guest”.
Now, let me discuss the primary battle that we face here in Kentucky over the next year.
There are those who say that since Kentucky is a conservative state, we have to settle for a conservative Blue Dog Democratic candidate in order to compete for the Senate seat. Dan Mongiardo is the Blue Dog that some are pointing to, as he co-sponsored the Rovian anti-gay amendment here in 2004, he constantly shills for the abomination that is mountaintop removal mining, and he has no problem speaking at NRA conventions in between Glenn Beck, Karl Rove and Mitt Romney bashing Democrats who will “take away their guns”.
Let me say, in no uncertain terms, that the PPP poll that came out yesterday absolutely killed that meme. DEAD.
Not only are the much more progressive Jack Conway’s approval ratings higher than Dan Mongiardo’s (Conway at 40/21, Mongiardo at 41/34), but Conway performs better in a head-to-head match-up against Bunning, winning 42%-33%.
We don’t need a Blue Dog to beat Jim Bunning. Jack Conway is a progressive Democrat with integrity that can whip Jim Bunning any day of the week.
But let’s say that KY Republicans like Mitch McConnell are able to successfully force Bunning out of the race and replace him with the much more formidable KY Sec. of State Trey Grayson. Even in this scenario, the PPP poll shows Jack Conway beating Grayson by 4 points. Mongiardo? He loses to Grayson by 4 points.
Again: we don’t have to settle for a conservative Blue Dog in this race. We have Jack Conway.
Kentucky progressives are already stepping up and showing that we don’t have to settle for the lesser of two evils in this race. The Facebook group I started “Kentuckians Against Homophobia, Mountaintop Removal, and Dan Mongiardo” has more members than the Mongiardo for Senate Facebook group. We know that Bunning is vulnerable, and we don’t have to settle for another Ben Nelson or Blanche Lincoln.
Please check out Jack Conway’s campaign website, and please consider throwing some turkee his way. We have a great candidate with a great shot of taking another big seat away from the Party of No in November 2010.
Last week, SUSA shook KY and America with its poll showing Mitch “Wall St.” McConnell and Bruce Lunsford in a statistical tie at 49-46%. The poll was a 9 point plunge for McConnell, despite the fact that Democrats were severely undersampled.
The latest Courier-Journal Bluegrass Poll shows that Kentucky’s U.S. Senate race between Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democrat Bruce Lunsford is a statistical tie.
The telephone survey of 717 likely voters taken last week showed that McConnell and Lunsford are in a dead heat when respondents were asked who they would vote for if the election were held “today.”
McConnell moves ahead by one point when those who are undecided are asked which candidate they are leaning toward. The Bluegrass Poll, which was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc., has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
No, that’s not KY rain you feel, that’s Mitch McConnell sweating bullets…
Thought Mitch McConnell was just going to slide back into the Senate this November? I have news for you. He has met his match.
Bruce Lunsford? No.
Billy.
Right here in KY, following in the long proud tradition of successful politicians from one of America’s finest cinematic endeavors and political schools, Predator, I give you…
Sonny Landham, perhaps best known for his role as “Billy” in 1987’s Predator movie, has called a press conference in Frankfort for 1:45 p.m. Wednesday in which he will announce that he is running for U.S. Senate as a Libertarian Party candidate.
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Landham, 67, would join Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and Democratic challenger Bruce Lunsford in the race.
And believe me, Jesse and Arnold have nothing on this guy.
Just check out this guy’s courage in the face of a fierce alien beast.
Could McConnell take that blade across his chest??? No effin way, dude. He might get his staff to smear the Predator’s family to the press, but come on, he’s the fucking Predator, man. He’d have you hanging by your own intestines before you could even reach one reporter.
And how about the abs/pecs? Could Senator Billy siphon off the woman vote away from Mitch? Well, as we can see from Billy’s long porn career in the 70’s, the ladies seem to be, uh, into him.
Some of his porn work includes, Steam Heat (1979), Misbehavin’ (1979), The Trouble with Young Stuff (1977), The Honey Cup (1976), Hot Shots (1976), Slippery When Wet (1976) and Virgin Snow (1976) which is described as being an “avalanche of scorching porn!” Fantastic! I haven’t seen any of these but maybe there needs to be some sort of viewing party in Lexington or something.
And check out the man in “action” here. Now that’s some political outreach, if i’ve ever seen it.
The legal page is the report on the activity that is presently consuming my life, and has consumed my life since 1998. The legal will explain how a mentally ill wife and a liberal guided federal government railroaded me into federal prison.
uh-oh. and this too.
During divorce proceedings in 1998, Sonny’s wife Belita ran to a women’s abuse center, due to her fear of losing money and custody of their daughter, Priscilla. Even though Sonny had never struck his wife or children (Rachel Landham is a step-daughter) [the foregoing statement was made by Belita and Rachel], the fascist women’s abuse groups of Kentucky and the federal government through judicial terrorism framed Sonny, and he did thirty-one (31) months in federal prison
Ok, so women might have a problem with someone who did federal time for beating his wife and kids. Not counting it out, but might…
But what other constituencies could Senator Billy tap into? Well, as we saw in Kentucky during the primary this May, some of us aren’t that into black folks. And based on Billy’s friendly past with white supremacists, Billy might have a base ready and waiting for him.
CLARKSVILLE, IN–The Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC), a white supremacist organization that has strong ties to the mainstream via members that are elected officials, will be holding their annual conference next month in a Holiday Inn near Louisville, Kentucky. This will be the second time this year that a major hotel chain was the location of a white supremacist conference, and this event is listing as speakers a former actor who has worked with Eddie Murphy and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and a Canadian fascist who was most recently seen at National Vanguard’s Conference in Elmwood Park, NJ on Mother’s Day Weekend.
June 16 and 17 is when the CCC is to hold their 2006 National Conference at the Clarksville, Indiana Holiday Inn. This is considered a suburb of Louisville, Kentucky, which in recent years has seen a rag tag group of Klan members attempting to organize that reports say may put together a rally in the near future with the National Socialist Movement. The CCC event had been announced months ago, but it was only recently that the location was published on one of their websites.
The Conference boasts a slate of speakers that are considered conference regulars. CCC member and author Brent Nelson. Col. Robert Slimp, and lawyer Sam Dickson, who once represented Daniel “KKK Guy” Carver from the Howard Stern Wack Pack, will be among those regulars speaking. In addition Minuteman and CCC member Joe McCutchen will also be on hand to speak at the conference.
Co-hosting the event will be actor Sonny Landham, who has appeared in 48 Hrs., Predator, The Warriors and a string of porn films in the seventies. He is a new member of the CCC and has been very active particularly around the issue of immigration.
And just to emphasize the white supremcy wisdom that Billy has for the masses, check out this bitchin white power infomercial, complete with Rousseau bashing! (yes, he’s apparently part native american, but don’t tell him… it’d be like that Chappell Show episode of the black klan leader. We didn’t say the guy was smart, right?)
So… anyway.
Look out Mitch. Look out Bruce. And look out deadly alien beasts who dare venture into Appalachia.
ANDREW HORNE ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR U.S. SENATE IN KENTUCKY
“I’m running for U.S. Senate because it’s time for a change and because Senator Mitch McConnell is more than part of the problem. He is the problem,” said Andrew Horne
Louisville, KY – Lt. Colonel Andrew Horne (Ret.) launched his campaign today to take back the U. S. Senate seat for the people of Kentucky, now held by Mitch McConnell. Horne, while a Marine and Reservist, served tours of duty Desert Storm and recently in Iraq. Horne outlined his decision to run and what he plans to focus on as Senator in a video released on the internet this morning.
You can watch the video at AndrewHorne.org. The full text of it available on the site, as well.
“I’m running for U.S. Senate because it’s time for a change and because Senator Mitch McConnell is more than part of the problem. He IS the problem. It is time for Kentuckians to take our government and country back. We should not be told to take a backseat to the wealthy and powerful. It’s time to tackle the challenges facing our country instead of passing them off to our kids. It’s time for leaders who’ll take the right stand,” Horne says in the video.
“Mitch McConnell, the Republican Leader, symbolizes everything wrong with Washington. He bows to big business, practices the worst kind of politics, and doesn’t take a stand when faced with tough issues. Simply put: Mitch McConnell carries George Bush’s water on Iraq; I carried a rifle in Iraq” he added.
Horne noted that under the Bush-McConnell regime, Washington politicians have:
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failed to fix our health care crisis;
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sendt our jobs to China and Mexico;
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failed to lead on immigration reform;
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ran up a nine trillion dollar debt for our children, and
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led our country into an ill-conceived and mismanaged war in Iraq.
Horne also noted yesterday that the Bush-McConnell obstructionism has continued to hinder progress, pointing to the latest example, the President’s veto of S-Chip fully supported by McConnell.
In the coming weeks and months, Horne will lay out his proposals to benefit the people of the commonwealth.
ABOUT ANDREW HORNE
Andrew Horne was born to working, middle-class parents, who for 30 years owned and operated a series of small businesses in Louisville, including Horne Cleaners and Clubfit International, a golf equipment and supply store. Just before graduating from Pleasure Ridge Park High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and, soon after commencement, headed to Parris Island, S.C. for boot camp. Horne worked his way through the University of Louisville, and in 1983 became the first in his family to graduate from college. He later earned a degree from University of Louisville’s Brandeis School of Law, after fulfilling his six-year active duty contract with the Marines.
After tours overseas in both operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom, Horne retired this year from the Marines as a lieutenant colonel.
Horne, his wife Stephanie, and their two children are members of Louisville’s Christ Church United Methodist, where he’s taught Sunday School. Horne serves as the spokesperson for the Brain Injury Association of Kentucky, leading the Wounded Warriors program which provides resources and relief to those suffering from this “signature” wound of the Iraq war. He also has been active with the Toys for Tots campaigns, the Marine Corps Coordinating Council of Kentucky, Boy Scouts of America, Junior Achievement and Boys’ State of Kentucky. He is a member of the Louisville Bar and American Bar associations. He previously served as a senior advisor to VoteVets.org, a pro-military group that supports Iraq and Afghanistan veterans running for office.
For more info on Andrew Horne, here’s my interview with him last month:
Lt. Col. Andrew Horne was kind enough to answer some questions that I had for him. Here is the transcript:
ME: You were registered independent before you decided to run for Congress against Anne Northup in 2006. Why had you remained Independent up until that point, and what factored in your decision to join the Democrats?
AH: Since enlisting as a Marine in 1979, I was registered as an Independent voter, believing that as a Marine my duty was to my country, my loyalty to the Constitution, and not a particular political party or president. But my political perspective changed after completing my last tour in Iraq. I saw first hand how the Bush administration’s civilian leaders mismanaged the war and misled the American people. I saw our Republican leaders repeatedly ask working people and middle class families to bear the greatest sacrifice, while asking little of the wealthiest and most powerful. For these reasons, I changed my party registration from Independent to the Democratic Party. As a candidate with my background, the discussion will be about ending the war responsibly and taking on the real challenges facing American families, such as health care, education and economic and retirement security.
ME: Many in the media are claiming that the “surge” strategy is working in Iraq. How accurate do you think such claims are?
AH: To determine if the escalation is “working” we must begin with what the goals were at the time it was initiated and our desired end state for Iraq. If our end state is political reconciliation leading to stability it has not been a success. If our end state is more of our troops in harms way protecting Iraqis then it has been a success. However, few would argue that having more of our troops risking their lives every day to keep their fingers in the proverbial dike is a good thing or a desirable consequence, particularly when it does not appear there is any end in sight. From these parameters it is clearly not working. The question is how long do we cling to the hope that the Iraqi leadership will step up and do what needs to be done. I for one believe the Iraqi leadership will allow us to carry their water for them as long as we are willing. If we send a clear message that we will leave soon they will step up. The current Basra situation is an example of what could happen if we leave- much to the chagrin of the Bush administration the British pulled out of Basra and defying all predictions violence dropped by 90%.
ME: What type of reaction do you get from fellow Marines that you served with when they hear how critical you are of President Bush’s policies in Iraq?
AH: Marines’ attitudes are not monolithic, and they are as diverse as the general population. However, most of the Marines I speak to are supportive and tell me I am doing the right thing, particularly if they have seen combat in Iraq.
ME: What do you make of the saber rattling going on amongst the Bush administration when it comes to Iran? Is this even a viable option at this moment, or is this just for show?
AH: The Iran situation is serious and should not be underestimated. The administration seems to be eager to increase tensions and the saber rattling is just one example. The rhetoric could be intended to pressure the Iranians to the table; however, Bush does not always act prudently and he could be considering some form of preemptive action. From my perspective, there do not seem to be many viable options for the use of force given our current force structure and other commitments, but if history has taught us anything it is not to misjudge the extent of Bush’s hubris.
ME: Do you think that McConnell’s two filibusters on Sen. Jim Webb’s amendments to restore proper troop rotation between tours will hurt his support among the military in KY, particularly Western Kentucky?
AH: Absolutely. Mitch McConnell prevented voting on the Webb Amendment that would have given our troops more time between tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. The people that join our military are patriots who are willing to make enormous sacrifices for our country and our way of life. Those sacrifices, however, are not being shared by the rest of our society and the same people are asked again and again to shoulder the burden. This has not been lost on Veterans. Mitch McConnell will be held accountable. In this vein, I want to share a note that I read on the “Draft Horne” website:
Dear Mr. Horne,
My husband is currently serving his 2nd fifteen month deployment in Iraq. I am asking you to please run against Mitch McConnell in 2008. I wrote to Mr. McConnell asking him to request more MRAP's for our troops, and received no response. When I wrote him regarding Rush Limbaugh's comments about "phony soldiers", I received a letter defending Rush as a consistent supporter of our troops. This seems very lopsided to me, and I believe that someone like you could make a really big difference in Congress. Please run.
ME: Outside of policies dealing with Iraq and Veterans, what are your major criticisms with Mitch McConnell’s performance in the Senate?
AH: I strongly believe Senator Mitch McConnell is taking us down the wrong path. McConnell has given President Bush, big business and corrupt lobbyists a blank check and rubber stamp for their selfish agenda. He is unwilling to address the healthcare crisis. He votes against legislation that would control college costs for regular people. He is blatantly loyal to corporate interests above the interests of working people and the middle class. However, if I were to have one principal complaint it would be his gross partisanship. In that last 7 years he has been one of the most strident enablers of the Bush fiasco and since the midterm elections he has been the most vocal, effective and smug obstructionist in the Senate. By his conduct it is clear that he does not care what is good for Kentucky, the United States or the people; his primary concern is his own survival and the political success of the Republican Party.
ME: Many Democrats around the country are currently upset with their party, particularly for not following through on their promises when they won back Congress last fall. How valid do you think such complaints are, and do you share any of them?
AH: The message from the electorate during the last elections was stunning and the Democrats have not acted on that message. So I do believe that much of the criticism is fair; however, the Republican’s have sufficient votes in the Senate to filibuster and Bush can still veto so the Democrats do not have an unfettered ability to enact legislation completely of their choosing. The Democrats could have forced the issue in regard to funding of Iraq by not sending up alternative legislation absent affirmative statements by McConnell and Bush that there would be some compromise.
ME: During the nomination process of AG Mukasey, there was much discussion of what defines torture and what defines “enhanced interrogation techniques”. How familiar are you with waterboarding, and does this constitute torture?
AH: All politics aside, waterboarding is absolutely torture. It is prohibited by the Army interrogation manual, which is used by all of the armed forces of the United States. If Soldiers, Marines, Sailors or Airmen waterboard a prisoner they can and probably will be prosecuted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice for “Abuse of a Prisoner.” End of discussion.
Let me say that I do not know if the politicization of words is a new phenomenon but it is new to me. When I was in Iraq during a command briefing to Ambassador Negroponte we were all amused to learn from the Ambassador that we were not supposed to use the words “insurgent[s]” or “insurgency,” apparently the approved words were “terrorist[s]” and “terrorism.” [In his defense he seemed as amused as the rest of us.] When I came home I was surprised and amused when I was questioned about whether the attack into Iraq was an “invasion” or “liberation.” [I wasn’t aware there was any real question about that.] The games being played by Bush, et al would almost make me laugh if they weren’t so disturbing.
ME: Many candidates in the Republican Presidential debates have boasted about “doubling Gitmo”, channeling “Jack Bauer”, and saying the most important civil liberty is “staying alive”. What are your thoughts on this kind of talk?
AH: I am unsure how a rational person can comment on those types of attitudes. Torture and detention centers are not things that anyone should boast about. We must not forget that moral standards are vital to success in warfare and school yard attitudes about strength and toughness have no place in serious debate. I wrote an Op Ed for the CJ right before the 2006 midterms entitled “Tough Is Not Enough”, which addresses these issues in more detail. (ME: full transcript here)
Kentuckians don’t like Mitch McConnell, and he is VULNERABLE in 2008.
Just as the last two Survey USA polls have shown, Kentuckians are starting to sour on their Senior Senator. Mitch McConnell’s approval rating has fallen to 45%, while his disapproval rating has risen to 46%, the first time that any poll has shown his disapprovals eclipsing approvals.
Additionally, McConnell continues to lose support from moderates in big numbers, as only 33% approve and 61% disapprove. His numbers among Independents aren’t much better, at 37/53%.
The LHL poll also shows potential Democrats well within firing range of McConnell in next year’s Senate race. Chandler, Stumbo, Horne and Luallen are all within 5 to 11% in a potential matchup against the incumbent McConnell in 2008.
The most impressive numbers among these potential challengers is that of Lt. Col. Andrew Horne. Despite the fact that Horne has low name recognition at the moment, with 55% having no opinion of him, he is still within distance of McConnell, down 45% to 34%. In comparison, the % of those having no opinion of Chandler, Stumbo and Luallen, are only 12, 13 and 23%, respectively. If Horne runs and wins the nomination, his name recognition would skyrocket, closing the gap with McConnell considerably (especially considering that Horne’s approval/disapproval among those who know him is at 36/9%). From Del Ali, the president of the company who conducted the poll:
“Here’s a guy that half the electorate really doesn’t know but yet when you put him against an incumbent whom nearly everyone knows, he’s in the race,” said Ali, the pollster. “It tells me the voters of Kentucky at least are open to someone to represent them differently in the U.S. Senate.”
Additionally, Horne is a harder target for McConnell to smear in a potential matchup than other Democrats. From the LHL:
And McConnell already has a reputation as a fierce campaigner who seizes on opponents’ political weaknesses.
For that reason, a candidate such as Horne could give McConnell the most fits, said (Democratic consultant, Danny) Briscoe.
“Chandler, Stumbo and Luallen all have public records that McConnell will look at as raw meat,” he said.
Horne is also more immune to attacks from McConnell on matters of national security than other potential candidates. Horne is a 27 year Marine vet who served in both Iraq wars. His experience on the ground in the current war, along with his vocal opposition to this unpopular policy in KY, would make him a difficult target of the expected “Defeatocrat, cut-and-runner” line of attack that will be sure to come from McConnell.
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This election will be a brutal fight. McConnell is well known for being one of the most cutthroat campaigners that you’re ever going find. He is relentless in his attacks, and will stoop to anything to gain an edge.
This is why we need a new face in Kentucky politics to take him on. We need a candidate without baggage in their background that can be exploited. We need a candidate with character and spine, who will stand toe-to-toe with McConnell and not back down from a fight. We need an outsider, not a career politician who runs for office every year. We need a unifying candidate for all Kentuckians across this state.
We need Lt. Col. Andrew Horne.
Mitch McConnell is sending out fundraising letters to supporters in which he whines about the “liberals, radicals, far-left, unions, Hillary, Schumer, etc…” who are hounding him about his pathetic record and his obedience to corporate contributers and George W. Bush rather than his constituents in Kentucky.
In fact, we are “the 60’s anti-war movement on steroids!”. That’s probably the greatest unintentional complement I’ve ever received. I think I’ll have that put on my gravestone/obituary: “one of the leaders of the 60’s anti-war movement on steroids”.
Anyway, Mitchy even gives a big shout out to the good folks at Ditch Mitch!
Liberals on the internet have already created a website called “Ditch Mitch,” and 6,000 radicals from across the nation have already signed up.”
Hey, Mitchy, glad to see you’re reading the site! We feel humbled by your presence.
And as far as being a “radical”, I wish. I don’t think you can have an 8-5 Mon-Fri non-political office job and be defined as “radical”. But I aspire to prove you right someday, Mitchy. And we’re FAR more than 6,000, I can guarantee you that.
On second thought, maybe I’ll have “the leader of 6,000 liberal radicals” on my gravestone/obituary, that’s even better. (Though that honor technically should go to Matt Gunterman or Aniello, amongst a few others.)
And look what we have here. Why it’s Mitchy’s full fundraising letter, in all of its paranoid glory. It’s funny, you can almost smell the desperation in here. For Christ’s sake, have a little more dignity Mitchy.
Mitch has a record low approval rating of 48% and a record high disapproval rating of 44%.
Mitch thought that he would actually get bonus points for his oh-so-clever filibustering of any change to Bush's failed Iraq policy. The Webb amendment to give our troops the proper rest and rotation between tours passed easily, but Mitch voted against it and organized the filibuster. The Levin amendment passed, but Mitch again stood in the way, enabling Bush and obstructing any real progress in our Iraq policy.
Mitch lost the most ground among independents, free falling from 67/30 approval/disapproval, to 39/53. Considering that KY's independents are overwhelmingly against the war, this shows that Mitch has firmly put the Iraq anchor around his own neck by standing in the way of any progress. The right isn't happy either, as he dropped 6 points amongst Republicans and 12 points amongst Conservatives. Women also don't like the war, and they don't like Mitch either (it's mutual, I'm sure): he dropped 11% amongst women.
This poll shows that Mitch's attempts to portray the Democrat's reform effort on Iraq as a “publicity stunt” is an absolute failure. KY voters are able to see through Mitch's spin, and they will continue to in bigger numbers the more that Mitch enables Bush and obstructs real progress that Democrats are pushing for and KY wants.
Mitch continues to have Iraq veterans and protesters hounding him wherever he goes in Kentucky. That will only heat up. He also has his first possible opponent, Greg Stumbo, forming an exploratory committee for a run against him in 2008. There is also a growing movement to draft Marine vet Lt. Col. Andrew Horne into the race. Having to run against an honored Vet who is active with VoteVets and consistently for changing course in Iraq would be a nightmare scenario for Mitch, imo.
But what about Mitch's bottomless war chest? Remember that Tom Daschle spent $19 million on his race and lost. People don't like Mitch, and there's no amount of money that's going to change that.
So don't let anyone tell you that this race is out of play, because we have a legitimate shot of ditching Mitch.
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