Mitch McConnell – Destined to Lose?

conservativehq.com ^ | 11/26/13 | CHQ Staff

[cotton1706]

Our friend Tony Lee over at Breitbart has a great report on the Kentucky Republican Senate primary between incumbent establishment Senator Mitch McConnell and Tea Party backed conservative Matt Bevin that gives some important evidence to support what CHQ Chairman Richard Viguerie has been saying for years – Republicans never win big elections unless they draw a sharp distinction between the conservative world view and the liberal world view.

Mr. Viguerie regularly tells audiences for his speeches and in his CHQ columns that to win Republicans must frame the campaign as a fight for traditional values, lower taxes, smaller, less intrusive government and respect for the individual and constitutional liberty. Nationalizing the election isn’t an automatic guarantee of victory, but the “stand for nothing” strategy usually adopted by establishment Republicans IS a guarantee of defeat.

Tony Lee reports that Matt Walsh, who has a conservative talk show on radio station WLAP and blogs at TheMattWalshBlog.com has much the same analysis of the Bevin vs. McConnell primary.

Appearing on Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot channel 125 with host and Breitbart News Executive Chairman Stephen K. Bannon, Walsh noted that a female Democrat like the Democrats’ Kentucky Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes can win when establishment Republicans do not fight back on the false "war on women" rhetoric, and he feared McConnell would not fight back against Grimes while Bevin would.

Walsh also said Democrat Grimes "shrinks away" from issues, and even though she "might bring Hollywood money" to Kentucky, she still has to connect with voters in the arena, which Grimes has not shown the ability to do yet.”

Shrinking away from the issues makes Grimes the perfect empty vessel into which the national Democrats can pour the despicable rhetoric of their “war on women” campaign.

[PATRIOT1876]

When you come after your base with an axe trying to rid yourself of them as if we patriots (or “exotics”, as the RINOs called us on the day after the 2012 election) were so much kudzu growing up the side of his barn, and then threatening to “punch us in the nose”—he shouldn't be surprised when he loses the primary.

I suspect the Grimes people have paid him off in an effort to cause her to win. mitch’s kamikaze action seem like like he's taking a dive.

“Reid says to me, he says ‘Kid, this ain't your election. We're going for the price on Grimes.’

I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it”

~future quote by Mitch the night of the next election

[DoodleDawg]

I wouldn’t say McConnell is destined to lose. But this is probably the best chance Conservatives are going to have to vote him out. Go Bevin!

[cotton1706]

I think McConnell sees his mission now is to keep another conservative from getting elected, so to that end, he MUST BEAT BEVIN! If he loses in November, so be it, but at least it would be to a democrat, which is the natural order of things.

These people hate and resent the conservatives for taking out first Arlen Specter, then Bob Bennett, then preventing Mike Castle and Charlie Crist from becoming nominees and thus senators, then making Lisa Murkowski fight for her political life, then taking out Richard Lugar and then defeating David Dewhurst.

These old guard types literally HATE conservatives and will do whatever it takes to defeat them.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

One of the surest ways to defeat an incumbent is surprising in that it is rarely used. If you can craft a nickname for them that sticks, it can be devastating to their candidacy.

Perhaps the most notorious of these was to the presidential candidate Edmund Muskie, who got his nickname by accident, from the TV show “All In The Family”. The character Archie Bunker referred to his Polish nephew as “You dumb Polack”, but also as “Meathead”. And for some reason, the latter nickname stuck on Muskie, who was also of Polish descent.

Overnight, it ruined his candidacy, and he dropped out of the race.

Importantly, finding an insulting nickname that sticks isn’t easy, and it must achieve the right balance of scorn, ridicule and personal association. But it is well worth it to make the effort to come up with such slanders, especially in critical races where the incumbent has significant financial and party backing.

Therefore, it would be very valuable to the Tea Party to come up with such nicknames against establishment RINOs, as an equalizer in the primary race.

[Williams]

Muskie dropped out for no such reason and I don’t know where you got that. Certainly a big factor was fallout over his crying in public because someone insulted his wife.

[Williams]

Just dumb of McConnell to fight the tea party. Even if he hates them he should have kissed their butt in public. He’s in a Republican primary in Kentucky, not Maine.

[rhinohunter]

craft a nickname

Milquetoast Mitch

[SeminoleCounty]

I think its quite apparent McConnell will lose to Grimes...and Bevin needs to make this point.

The Dems are more motivated to beat McConnell than actually take a Senate seat. McConnell would be a big take out vs GOP for the Dems. I think Bevin would give less motivation to the Dems.

McConnell can’t keep the seat...only thing uncertain is whether a GOP or Dem beats him

[Paine in the Neck]

When you come after your base with an axe trying to rid yourself of them as if we patriots (or “exotics”, as the RINOs called us on the day after the 2012 election) were so much kudzu growing up the side of his barn, and then threatening to “punch us in the nose”—he shouldn't be surprised when he loses the primary.

The base will return the favor and take Mitch's cushy sinecure away from him.

[Paine in the Neck]

Send Mitch the turtle McConnell packing.


Support Matt Bevin to oust Mitch McConnell in KY

[SeminoleCounty]

Your idea is right...but not the example

Muskie lost because Nixon supporters had hippies invade a Muskie fundraiser...freaking out big donor Dems...and closing their checkbooks for Muskie

Nixon and his advisors felt Muskie was the Dems best chance vs Nixon...and targeted him to upend his campaign

[SeminoleCounty]

Milquetoast Mitch nickname

I like it!

You should trademark it

[csmusaret]

Our national debt was $1.572 Trillion when McConnell first went to the Senate.

[Dansong]

Ditch McConnell

[Dansong]

“Ditch Mitch” works, too.

[lakecumberlandvet]

I agree. Similarly, it’s dumb of Rand Paul to turn his back on the Kentucky tea party even if he has larger ambitions.

[elcid1970]

I remember the footage of Muskie defending his wife from the `evil rightwing’ Manchester Union Leader; snow was falling so he bowed his head to avoid the snowflakes getting into his eyes. The Nixon campaign exploited this as flakiness on Muskie’s part (pun semi-unintended).

McGovern won the nomination & his far flakier liberal & even pacifistic record guaranteed his defeat in ‘72.

[DPMD]

What would a Mitch McConnell punch look like? Think obama and the opening pitch of baseball season.

[Political Junkie Too]

So, you're saying that a primaried McConnell would not endorse candidate Matt Bevin? :-)

-PJ