Matt Bevin, left, is challenging incumbent Mitch McConnell in the
race to be the GOP's nominee in Kentucky's U.S. Senate race.
Posted on 04/02/2014 3:50:24 PM PDT by smoothsailing
April 2, 2014
Matt Bevin, left, is challenging incumbent Mitch McConnell in the
race to be the GOP's nominee in Kentucky's U.S. Senate race.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Matt Bevin believes the legality of cockfighting should be decided by states and not the federal government, his spokeswoman said Wednesday following a news report that Bevin attended a pro-cockfighting rally over the weekend.
"Matt doesn't believe this is a federal issue, and the state government can handle it," said Rachel Semmel, Bevin's spokeswoman.
The News Journal in Corbin reported Wednesday that Bevin, who is seeking to defeat Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in the May 20 primary, spoke to about 700 people at an event in Corbin last Saturday that was organized by Michael Devereaux, director of the Gamefowl Defense Network.
Bevin told the newspaper that he didn't know he had attended a pro-cockfighting rally, although organizers told the paper there was "never any ambiguity" about the purpose of the event, which was to rally support for changing laws that outlaw cockfighting.
Bevin said he though the event was a rally for states' rights. He spoke to the crowd in the morning before attending the county's Lincoln Day dinner that night.
"I was the first person to speak and then I left," Bevin said. "They knew I was here. They asked if I would be interested in speaking. I'm a politician running statewide, any chance I get to speak to a few hundred people I'm going to take it."
Semmel's statement about Bevin's belief that cockfighting is a state issue came in response to a question about whether the candidate supports the controversial practice, in which two roosters often fight to the death in a ring called a cockpit. She did not respond to a follow-up question asking again whether Bevin personally supports the practice.
The McConnell campaign, which has repeatedly accused Bevin of dishonesty, was skeptical that Bevin didn't know the purpose of Saturday's event.
"Only Matt Bevin would go to a cockfighting rally and claim he didn't know what they were doing there," McConnell spokeswoman Allison Moore said.
As the Herald-Leader reported in February, McConnell enraged cockfighting enthusiasts when he voted earlier this year in favor of farm legislation that contained an amendment making it a federal crime to be a spectator at an animal fight. In response, a McConnell spokesman said a representative of the senator's would be willing to sit with the group and hear their concerns.
The new law makes attending a cockfight or dogfight a federal misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in prison and $100,000 fine. It makes bringing a minor to such fights a federal felony, punishable by up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The penalties included in the new federal law put serious teeth into what is already criminal activity, although Kentucky law enforcement officials have rarely cited individuals for the misdemeanor offense.
OMG.
Well, he’s toast.
I guess he’s still qualified to be president of the Michael Vick fan club.
@%$% really?
I’m waiting to donate when he appears with Tickle for the pro-moonshining rally.
He looks like an ultra-Type A (A as in...) personality.
Unless he's really good on his feet (and we haven't seen that yet). If he can respond to each cockfighting question with an answer about limited government IAW the 9th and 10th Amendments and the efficiency of getting FedGov out of the minutia, he's got a chance. If he can deflect the issue by arguing that he has no problem with state prohibitions on cockfighting, that will help, a little, maybe. My guess: you're right; he's toast.
For those that are stumped as to what has Hillary ever done? The answer is that she rammed a Federal Law to prevent cock fighting up our butts.
Oh, for the love of Mike. Maybe Rove's onto something about protecting us from idiot candidates {and I don't say that with any satisfaction).
In Corbin no less, that's where Harland Sanders first started selling Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Idiot. He’ll lose in the primary. McConnell will lose in November.
In this day and age of animal worship by sick souls this guy is “TOAST!” (By the way from what I have heard George Washington liked cock fights.)
Yeah.. he can argue the 9th and 10th Amendments until he’s blue in the face, but the part that will stick with voters is “Bevin supports cockfighting.”
Bevin started out looking good. There's that situation where he signed unto approving of Obamacare, maybe explainable but should've been explained BEFORE it came up. And then there's that he's a businessman with no voting record at all, just rhetoric....and conservatives have been stung by pro-buisiness RINOs before.
He's toast. A good conservative candidate would get unbelievable financial support. Bevin's yet another disappointment. JMHO
I was thinking to myself just the other night, the politicians and socialists are making more and more of a mess of this world. They are going to have to start real bloodsport soon like the Romans used to in order to keep people under control.
Panem et circenses. How the state gets by with murder and other unsavory things.
Cockfighting is still in the news?
Some things never change!
When I was a kid, the county sheriff would raid the local cockfighting arena (complete arena on several acres, with fan stands, parking areas, tailgaiting parties or picnics, burrito and other food vendor trucks, signs from several miles away directing vehicles to the arena, etc.) ... the sheriff would suddenly “discover” this terrible Den of Iniquity existed on his turf...just in time to raid it (with the local media in tow) and get himself some “Big Crime Fighter Sheriff” propaganda stories and pictures of Big Mike holding some poor chicken he’d “liberated” (just in time for dinner?).
Of course, just as soon as he won re-election, as he always did,... as our local version of Elliot Ness, the cockfights would resume their normal schedule, including formalized play-off matches between the best participants....leading to the Chief Chicken (or whatever) Award of the Year.
Which should have been given to our sheriff, except he was on the receiving end of all sorts of more valuable “contributions” ... As the headline eventually put it when the real news finally got published.....,
“Campaign Funds Solicited (by Sheriff) At Cockfights”
For what its worth, that was a half-century ago. In March of 2013, the local cockfights were still continuing...and, occasionally anyway, still getting raided (by a new sheriff, of course).
1:4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; and the earth abideth for ever.
1:5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he ariseth.
1:6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it turneth about continually in its circuit, and the wind returneth again to its circuits.
1:7 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.
1:8 All things toil to weariness; man cannot utter it, the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
1:9 That which hath been is that which shall be, and that which hath been done is that which shall be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.
1:10 Is there a thing whereof it is said: ‘See, this is new’? —it hath been already, in the ages which were before us.
1:11 There is no remembrance of them of former times; neither shall there be any remembrance of them of latter times that are to come, among those that shall come after.
1:12 I Koheleth have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
1:13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven; it is a sore task that God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.
1:14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
1:15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
He is absolutely right but I’m afraid this is the end of him. Why in the world was he at a pro-cockfighting rally? Maybe he though it was reaching out to the gay community? /sarc off
I was somewhat amazed with the amount of petitions in favor of Bevin’s stance in Kentucky this week. Was even asked to sign a few.
No, the Feds believe that the people of the states are so stoopid that they cannot police themselves. Bob
You know McConnell is now going to start highlighting it in his ads. Couldn’t Bevins have done something non-controversial like talking about “legitimate rape”?
Right. Like Cockfighting is a major issue affecting Ketucky voters.
At least Bevin didn’t say he wants to punch Tea Party activists.
It shouldn’t, he’s absolutely right. Now, the interstate transportation across state likes might be an issue, but a very shaky one.
One thing that ANY Constitutional thinker must agree on is that the federal guvmint is too intrusive on local matters already. The proglibs would use something like this to step in on a lot more places they definitely don’t belong!
Unfortunately, this looks like Bevin’s “I’m not a witch” moment.
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