Bunning's Wild Pitches Tighten Kentucky Senate Race

[nonconformist]

By Paul Farhi
Friday, October 15, 2004; Page A06

Just a few weeks ago, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) looked like a lock for reelection, with a huge lead in the polls over his Democratic challenger, state Sen. Daniel Mongiardo. But then Bunning started behaving . . . oddly.

The one-term incumbent (and Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher) has stalked out of a news interview, compared his dark-complexioned opponent to one of Saddam Hussein's sons, and accused Mongiardo or a member of his campaign staff of roughing up Bunning's wife at an event over the summer -- an accusation Mongiardo's staff calls "sad and untrue." Bunning has also beefed up his security detail, telling a Paducah TV station, "There may be strangers among us."

On Monday, Bunning declined to show up in Kentucky, as agreed, for a debate with Mongiardo. Instead, he beamed in via satellite from the Republican National Committee's TV studio in Washington and refused to let a neutral observer monitor his participation. Bunning's campaign manager, David Young, later acknowledged that Bunning had read his opening and closing statements off a teleprompter. Mongiardo's campaign said that violated the debate's rules.

All of which has prompted two things: a competitive Senate race in Kentucky and questions about Bunning.

<snip>

More...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34265-2004Oct15.html

Donate to Mongiardo if you can (link in my sigline). We can WIN this seat - the buzz is phenomenal here in Kentucky.

[freetobegay]

1. From what I hear in S.E. Kentucky from friends & familly

Thay are pissed at Bush!

[nonconformist]

3. It's mixed

I'm in Harlan (SE KY, Mongiardo country) and one thing I have noticed is that there are not as many yard signs and bumper stickers for Bush as there used to be. That may not mean much, but it's what I've noticed.

However, there are Mongiardo signs all over the place. :)

[freetobegay]

4. I was referring to Harlan & Bell Counties

Harlan & Middlesboro to be exact! Nice to meet you.

[nonconformist]

5. Small world!

:hi:

[Gunit_Sangh]

8. re: it's mexed (sorry had to do it)

I've noticed the same thing in central KY. Last election it seemed like half the cars had B/C stickers. This year, I rarely see one. I see more Kerry/Edwards stickers on cars. Not a whole lot, but far more than BC04 stickers.

As I was walking from the parking lot to my office yesterday, I talked to a friend whom I know had a BC sticker on his car in 2000 and while I didn't talk about the presidental election, I worked in the senate debate and found out he has decided NOT to vote for bunning. YEAH

[Forkboy]

2. What's the big deal?

He sounds like every other repub to me....crazy as a loon! :)

[WatchWhatISay]

6. Maybe Kerry has coat tails?

Haven't heard anything mentioned about this, they were so sure there boy was in.

[mandyky]

7. Not coattails

Just and arrogant GOPer beating himself with lying smear ads and breaking the rules.

[Gunit_Sangh]

9. re: coat tails

It's not just bunning's bizarre behavior, gop guv fletcher has royally pissed off approx 230,000 teachers (active and retired) by negotiating and signing health insurance contracts that substantially raises their premiums and co-pays. I don't recall reading about this in the news until after the ink had dried on the contracts.

It's SO bad, the teachers have threatened to go on strike on Oct 27. earnie called a special session (so far costing a half a million) to try and fix it. I just read this morning the dems in the house are ready to pass legislation but the repugs in the senate may not go along with it.

Maybe I'm too much an optimist, but bunning and fletcher may be 2 aces up the Dems sleeves.

[nonconformist]

10. Kick for the afternoon/evening crowd

Bunning is going DOWN!

They're getting desperate - last night someone came along my area and took down all of the Mongiardo signs and smacked up a couple of Bunning ones.

Idiots.

[goforit]

11. All these gop'rs are loosing their minds!!.........Gee, don't know why.

Could it be all the crimes their committing and
sweeping them under the rug?

Ahhhhh........Absolute power corrupts absolutely!!!!

[blackspade]

12. as a fellow kentuckian...

I can vouch for the buzz here.
Rumor in state government circles is that Bunning has some sort of dementia.
The apparent plan by the rethugs here is for Bunning to 'win' and then retire so that Fletcher our rethug tool governor can appoint himself as a replacement. This would get him back to DC without an election he would probably lose.

I have high hopes that Bunning will lose to Mongiardo though!

[Pithy Cherub]

13. Actually saw the debate

replayed on C-SPAN. It was as seriously bizarre as *'s 1st debate. The sentences didn't even connect with the topic, each other or his own answers. And then BLAM his closing statement was out of the twighlight Zone because you could tell he was reading.

Bunning & Bush - after losing their elections, they should form a company specializing in Debate Delivery for Republican's.

[LiberalFighter]

14. Kentucky Paper Says Bunning Can't Go the Distance

Kentucky Paper Says Bunning Can*t Go the Distance

An unusual editorial in The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky., Thursday all but declared Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) unsuitable for office following "outrageous statements" and "increased belligerence," but it has yet to bring a retort from the senator himself.

The opinion piece, however, did bring an angry response from Kentucky's other senator, Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell, who compared the paper's effort to anti-communist McCarthyism during the 1950s.

"He objected and invoked the Army-McCarthy hearings and said we had crossed way over the line," Courier-Journal editorial director David Hawpe said about a phone call from McConnell. "He invoked Joseph Welch, the attorney in the hearings who chastised Sen. Joseph McCarthy by saying, 'Have you no decency, sir?' I disagreed with him and told him my view is that it is an entirely reasonable editorial."

"It's not that unusual for him to call us," Hawpe added. "It is unusual for us to have that serious a disagreement about an editorial. He couldn't believe that we had published it."

[loudsue]

16. Hopefully more & more right wing editors will realize they aren't FREE

Nobody in this country is free anymore, and sooner or later, there are going to be a bunch of REALLY PISSED OFF repubs. They thought they could do as they pleased, as long as they did it to Democrats. Now they're finding out they, themselves, are the targets.

If ANYBODY is a victim of oppression, EVERYBODY is. The sooner they realize OPPRESSION OF FREE SPEECH/THOUGHT is the problem, NOT DEMOCRATS, then there will be a major turn-around.

Now....if we only had machines that would ACTUALLY COUNT VOTES, instead of making up figures from cyber-space, we could do something about it.

Hopefully more and more republicans will FINALLY GET IT THROUGH THEIR THICK SKULLS that these black boxes we're voting on are a true hex on Democracy.

:kick::kick::kick:

[PROGRESSIVE1]

15. I've heard that Bunning was never that popular and it seems....

that Mr. Bunning's cheating will cost him dearly.