Dan Mongiardo Narrows Jim Bunning's Lead In KY By 11 Points In One Month

Lexington Herald Leader ^ | October 25, 2004

[zbigreddogz]

Blah blah blah. Who cares? It might not be a 60-40 blowout, but there is no way in hell the D's are picking up this seat.

[CardCarryingMember.VastRightWC]

It wasn't Freddy Krueger. It was Bobby Krueger. Anyone else besides me remember the old Rush TV show? One night in May/June 1993 Rush showed a Krueger commercial where the candidate was poking fun at his own bland image by posing in a leather jacket sitting on a motorcycle. Then it showed him dressed up to look like The Terminator. And so on and on ...... with him saying something like, "Maybe people would like me better if I looked like ....."

Then Rush played the Hutchinson ad that was a response to this. It was hilarious, in a devastating (to Krueger) way. It showed a number of people of all ages/genders/races - saying things like, "It's not the way you dress that's the problem, Bobby" or "It's not your charm that's the problem, Bobby" ..... etc. Then finally someone says, "It's your RECORD, Bobby". And then this little old lady in a rocking chair (who's a ringer for that "Where's The Beef" lady) cackles out, "So, Hasta La Vista, Bobby boy!"

[Clintonfatigued]

I think that Mitch McConnell will retire in 2008. He's had some serious health problems recently, one of which required major surgery. Furthermore, he was reelected by an the largest margin ever won by a Pubbie in KY, and that would be a high note to retire on.

[Republican Wildcat]

He had open-heart surgery. There was no heart attack--they found the blockages in time.

[kempster]

Hey, I remember him as a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers in the 60's. As I recall he was pretty good.

[AmishDude]

Threw an AL no-hitter and a perfect game for the Phillies in the devastating 1964 season.

Helping Yourself to a 1-0 Victory
The pitchers listed below are the only pitchers to win a 1-0 game and also drive in the only run with a home run.

8/3/1906, Tom Hughes, Senators, off Fred Glade, Browns (10th inning)

8/13/1932, Red Ruffing, Yankees, off Tommy Thomas, Senators (10th inning)

5/21/1938, Spud Chandler, Yankees, off Thornton Lee, White Sox

5/1/1959, Early Wynn, White Sox, off Tom Brewer, Red Sox

4/18/1962, Milt Pappas, Orioles, off Bill Stafford, Yankees

8/6/1962, Johnny Klippstein, Reds, off Don McMahon, Colt-45s (13th inning)

5/5/1965, Jim Bunning , Phillies, off Warren Spahn, Mets

9/16/1971, Juan Pizarro, Cubs, off Tom Seaver, Mets

6/17/1983, Bob Welch, Dodgers, off Mario Soto, Reds

8/28/2002, Odalis Perez, Dodgers, off Rick Helling, Diamondbacks

Warren Spahn!!!

[kempster]

Thanks, I'm older than I thought. He was in Detroit from 1955-1963

[Theodore R.]

Something like what you described was done by ND Democrats in 1992, and the people endorsed it wholeheartedly. Republican senators are a most rare species in both Dakotas, as we know -- Daschle and Johnson, and Dorgan and Conrad, "Four for Eternity," so it seems.

[Theodore R.]

Does KY have special Senate elections other than in November of even years? Not every state holds special Senate elections right after a vacancy occurs. TX, PA, and WA State do, but most wait until the next November even-year general election for their special Senate elections. SC did that in 1966. TN did it in 1964.

[Theodore R.]

John Bowden Connally, Jr., did not become governor until January 1963. The popular Connally, often considered Texas' most successful governor of the 20th Century, had been in office only ten months when he was shot in Dallas on Nov. 22. It was former Governor Marion Price Daniel, Sr., whom Connally denied renomination in 1962, who appointed William Blakely to the LBJ Senate seat.

Earlier, in 1957, then freshman Governor Daniel appointed Blakely to Daniel's own Senate seat vacancy. Daniel was a U.S. Senator when he ran for the governorship in 1956 to succeed the retiring conservative Democrat Allan Shivers, Sr.

Then the late Ralph William Yarborough of Austin, popular leader of the TX liberal faction, won the special election for the rest of Daniel's Senate term with 38 percent of the vote. Conservatives in the state legislature then changed the law to require runoffs in such special elections. Therefore, in 1961, Blakely was forced into a runoff with Republican John G. Tower, who led the special election balloting for LBJ's seat. Tower beat Blakely by some 10,000 votes, most of which may have come from irate liberals who thought Blakely was too conservative. LBJ later told John Tower that Tower had been more help to him on Vietnam than "my whole damned party"!

TX politics has always had such fascinating stories, probably because it's a big state with big men of big ideas.

[AuH2ORepublican]

"Something like what you described was done by ND Democrats in 1992, and the people endorsed it wholeheartedly."

---

That was the inspiration for my scheme. Of course, Conrad didn't plan it that way---he had promised not to run for reelection if Congress didn't balance the budget in his first 6 years, and announced his retirement, allowing his friend Dorgan to run. But then when senior Senator Burdick died, Conrad flip-flopped and ran in the special election to fill in the rest of Burdick's term, and the special election was held on Election Day (together with the regular Senate election).

[AuH2ORepublican]

"Does KY have special Senate elections other than in November of even years?"

---

Even in states in which the Governor can wait until the date of the next general election to hold the special Senate election, I think that a gubernatorial election qualifies as a "general election," so if Bunning resined between November of 2006 and November of 2007 the seat would be up at the time of the 2007 gubernatorial election. What I'm not sure about is if a governor can call a special U.S. House election in April of 2008 yet wait until November of 2008 for the special Senate election---I would assume so, at least in states with more than one congressional district, since the House election wouldn't be held statewide.

[Schwaeky]

I doubt, knowing what I saw last night, that Bunning will retire after 11/07. Maybe if his health really went down the tubes possibly, but that's just not in the cards. Odds are exPrez Clinton will be worse off health by then than Bunning will. He's a little frail in his step, as most people at that age are, but he can pitch a whole nine innings and he can serve another six years. I was at the rally for Bunning last night in Bowling Green, and he was not a "ratchetjaw" or anything like that, quite the contrary he was quite eloquent and I don't see any problems with Bunning. He's no Strom Thurmond, so he may be around for quite a while..

Speaking of Political dyanmics of KY.... If Northrup does go to the Senate in such an event, expect State Sen Dan Seum (R-Louisville) to likely run for her seat. On the Dem side, I wouldn't be surprised if Ben Chandler runs for it, or even Scotty Baesler to run (Baesler has went up against Bunning before, narrowly losing to him by the razor thin most margin), and Chandler is young enough that he may try for another statewide office (already won Fletcher's old Congressional seat).

McConnell probably won't retire--after all he's probably going to be the next Senate Majority Leader...


We need to get out and make sure that Dr. Dan the medicaid millionaire does not win this one--he has lied, he is dangerous for Kentucky and America, and he even called 9/11 "the greatest military success in history." He may present himself as a good ol' Kentucky Democrat, but the fact is simple--HE'S MORE LIBERAL THAN JOHN KERRY!! Last night I shook Senator Bunning's hand and said to him "From one Brother Knight to another, ya gotta win this one!" (he's in the KofC, as am I) and he said "You bet."