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.
Man oh man. While I appreciate the sentiment, that states should decide their own animal cruelty laws......Why oh why would a candidate for national office allow himself (or herself) to be drawn into the obvious trap????
Matt may have just fatally wounded himself. More’s the shame
and he is running for the Senate of the US.... Why isn’t he focusing (like a laser) on Mitch McConnell??? That should be his attack and nothing else....no supporting state issues. Nothing . Period. I think he may just have cost himself the election
Call me crazy if you must, “Gamefowl Defense Network” sounds like the exact opposite of what it actually was.
actually it was Mitch who tacked on the amendment to the farm bill....
be that as it may are you really an offciando of such third world behavior??? If so LA barrios of illegals are happy to accommodate your needs
When I hear of Corbin, I think of Colonel Sanders, because the first KFC restaurant is in that town. I had lunch there once in 2008. Therefore I wouldn’t expect any political event in that town to oppose cockfighting. Matt should have known that, too.
The last time this subject came up to me was the Seinfeld episode The Little Jerry (1997). Some quotes...
Jerry: Isn’t cockfighting illegal?
Cosmo Kramer: Only in this country.
JERRY: Marriage is a big step, Elaine. Your life’ll totally change.
ELAINE: Jerry, it’s three-thirty in the morning. I’m at a cockfight. What am I clinging to?
Elaine made a good point....
she certainly will be happier having something better than a POULTRY cock to hang onto at 3:30am
smile
smile
“...that’s where Harland Sanders first started selling Kentucky Fried Chicken”
“Folks, this is your ol’ buddy Colonel Sanders. After the cockfights, stop by & try my New Bucket-O-Loser Special! Guaranteed fresh & chock full o’ andrenalin!!!”
;^)
Steve King has tried to block a lot of these amendments because it is a state issue.
The Democrats wanted to run ads and they were blocked.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120925/NEWS09/309250033/Stations-won-t-show-anti-King-ad
Ray Cole, president and chief operating officer of Citadel Communications, which includes WOI in West Des Moines and KCAU in Sioux City, said his company considered the ad misleading.
A review of congressional records shows that King made it clear to his fellow House members that he is opposed to all forms of dogfighting, but believes the issue is a state matter rather than a federal one, Cole said.
It appears McConnell was infiltrated the Matt Bevin organization. No one running state wide would every go to a cock fight or a dog fight rally. No one. He was setup by someone in his organization working for McConnell. Were I a Kentucky voter I would be more pissed at (corrupt) McConnell when (stupid) Matt Bevin.
It is because they will start redefining what fighting is.
If they fight while in captivity about to get processed the animal rights nutcases will try to get them charged them with a federal crime.
Doesn't matter that Mitch does many things wrong.
Folks here will give up on Bevin for lesser things.
Quitters.
That’s a damn shame!
Exactly right.. one issue at a time and more importantly we have to sell the broader issue of states right’s first, not stupid independent issues like that this.
Maybe him and Michael Vick were friends?
"Dude -- Let's have a cockfight! ... Heh-heh."
I believe cockfighting is legal in Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Joe Ely does a great song about it called “Gallo del Cielo”.
Yeah McConnell is better.
Right?
Is this some big issue in Kentucky? I couldn’t care less.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.