Tag Archives: politics

The Turtle Plods Forward

15 Apr
English: Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell

English: Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell has the field to himself in his upcoming re-election bid. He has used attack ads to eliminate one possible opponent, actress and activist Ashley Judd. Seeing his approval ratings in the mid-thirties and fearing Judd for her name recognition and possible fund-raising prowess, McConnell wasted no time. Judd was given a taste of what a no-holds-barred campaign could be. Blasted for being a non-resident “Hollywood type”, Judd decided to sit this one out. Rumor has is that she will soon establish residency in Kentucky for a future race.

Now a group called American Commitment is running ads in the state urging voters to call our dear Senator and thank him for standing up for hard-working voters. The 501 (c)4 group has previously run ads against Democrats who supported ACA. McConnell “stood up” for voters by opposing the “carbon tax” which would have “raised more money for the federal goverment to waste.” No mention here of the brave fight he put up against ending the Obama payroll tax holiday. Because of course not a peep was heard from the dear Senator. He spent his energy in a mostly successful bid to protect those in his donor base from the repeal of the Bush tax cuts.

A page on the American Commitment site rails against Obama and his “war on coal”. Unabashedly pro Fossil Fuel, it warns of a “staggering array of anti-coal regulations” that will “shut down all coal-fired power plants in America.” This message is tailored to appeal to voters in the eastern part of the state. No mention of record low natural gas prices, which have done  to the coal industry what the most onerous of regulations could not. Emissions in 2012 returned to levels not seen since the 1990’s due to the wholesale switch from coal to gas for power generation. American Commitment should salute the free market at work instead of hacking away at straw men.

Tags: , ,

Is the “Turtle” trolling us?

2 Mar

In the run-up to the announcement of a possible Senate run by actress Ashley Judd, questions swirl around the political landscape. First and foremost is …will she run? Judd has been drawn into advocacy by her work as a global ambassador for YouthAIDS. Polling shows her within spitting distance of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Judd, as YouthAIDS Global Ambassador, speaks a...

Judd, as YouthAIDS Global Ambassador, speaks at an event in South Africa (January 2005) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Do these results indicate anything other than high name recognition for the actress? Is she seriously considering a run for office or is she just taking advantage of this opportunity to get some free publicity?

Much has been made of Carl Rove’s preemptive attack ads which paint Judd as an out-of-touch poser who does not even live in the state. “Turtle Man”, as McConnell is known in progressive circles, is thought to be the most unpopular office-holder in the senate. Is he afraid he might lose his seat? Or can this consummate political operator be turning this to his advantage? Is he trying to “select” his opponent… one he feels comfortable running against? He could be trying to bait Ms. Judd into a campaign.

During the last election cycle, Claire McCaskill of Missouri shaped the race in her favor, going so far as running  primary ads in support of the Republican she wished to face in November. This strategy proved successful. Her seat had been considered threatened, yet she won by a wide margin. Could The Turtle, preparing for a sixth senate run, be taking a page from this playbook?

Ms. Judd has promised a decision by the date of this year’s Kentucky Derby. As for the Turtle, a wise man once said “Be careful what you ask for. You just might get it.”

Tags: , ,

Haunted by the Ghost of Clinton

11 Sep

The Big Dog is off the porch and runnin’ wild. Bill Clinton has entered the presidential race with his full-throated endorsement of Barrack Obama during the democratic convention.

At a time of deep divisions in all aspects of the body politic, the once controversial former president is taking advantage of his 69% approval rating.  His appearance in the race seems to be the major factor why a little daylight has appeared in the polling numbers of the two candidates. A race that was essentially tied, and had been for months, now seems to be leaning in the incumbent’s favor.

Bill Clinton’s presidency began with accusations of murder from the radical right. He lost the last two years of his presidency to a sex scandal now largely forgotten. His political opponents, he feels, needlessly persecuted him, hurting the chances of his would-be successor. Payback is now the order of the day.

How sweet it must be to slip the hot knife of revenge between the ribs of the GOP’s great white hope during this campaign.

What are Clinton’s motivations? His wife lost a passionately contested primary to Obama just four years ago. Bad blood was exposed more than once.

His probably has two primary reasons, beyond the cold revenge. One is legacy. The more time a Democratic president can spend in office, the more opportunity he has to shape the narrative in his favor. The other reason is that he hopes to put his wife in a position to run for the highest office in the land should she so desire.

A Democratic win in 2012 makes a run by Hillary much more likely in my opinion.

And the Big Dog is sniffing around for a path back to the warm confines of the White House

Tags: , ,