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Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Salon: Weirdness in Kentucky
The strange doings of Sen. Jim Bunning…
This apparent fear of the spontaneous has spurred rumors in Kentucky that Bunning, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, is suffering from some sort of dementia, perhaps Alzheimer’s. Bunning has declined to release his medical records. But until now, there was nothing hard to suggest that the one-term Republican senator was anything but a crotchety, occasionally confused, or arrogant old man.
I dig the Bunning entry in the Neyer/James book.....
Bunning threw 51 fastballs, 49 sliders, 25 curves, 7 change ups...and the Republican Party for a friggin’ loop!
Thanks to cmsauer
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The latest polls, amazingly, show his challenger (state sen. and Dr. Daniel Mongiardo) closing fast -- one showed it down to a six-point race -- even though he's got almost no money to spend.
Sounds like 1964 all over again.
If that were to happen, and if Fletcher were in fact to appoint himself to replace Bunning, I predict an enormous backlash against Fletcher and the GOP here. It would be seen as a complete fraud on the voters. I think they need at least a year or more to create the impression that Bunning was a genuine candidate, not a stalking horse.
How dare you challenge the health of Senator Bunning! I challenge you all to a duel!
How dare you challenge the health of Senator Bunning! I challenge you all to a duel!
I would have an easier time giving Bunning a break if he weren't my Senator. :-(
And this is different than Dick Cheney how? Where is this speculation of dementia or alzheimers coming from? Could be true, but probably just rumors started by his opponents to give Mongiardo a better chance. Unless it from his doctor, it should be ignored.
Aren't you in Louisville, Sam? I thought Mitch was your Senator and Bunning represented the eastern part of the state. I've been away from KY for a while though.
Did you read the rest of the article? There's a whole lot more sketchiness than simply being rude to reporters and giving scripted stump speeches. The debate stuff is particularly peculiar.
Ummm...
... to say nothing of Article I of the Constitution.
Not to impugn Salon, exactly, but their political leanings are hardly a secret. Unsupported, I consider their rumor-mongering about a Republican candidate to have less credibility than a Fox New story on Kerry's Vietnam record.
Also, it'd be nice to be able to read about it without having to sit through a Flash commercial.
Senators don't have districts. They both represent the enitre state. You only vote for one in a given election (normally) because the terms are generally staggered. Over the course of six year, you will vote for two Senate positions.
As an educator, we have a stock answer to that one: There's no such thing as a dumb question.
That said, just for the record: all Senators are subject to statewide election. Including McConnell and Bunning. I am willing to go out on a limb here, and say that Kentucky has the worst representation in the U.S. Senate of any state in the union.
As for Bunning's health, FWIW, I can say that I have heard the rumors about his health from people who have a strong interest in his winning, not from his opponents or detractors.
I got an e-mail from Mongiardo (I'm on his campaign distribution list) encouraging his supporters to watch the debate, with a not-so-subtle implication that Bunning looked very bad. I'll let you know if I get a chance to see it (unfortunately, it isn't scheduled to air in Louisville).
Dianne Feinstein is the Senator on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Barbara Boxer is the Senator on Tuesday, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
They alternate coverage on Sundays.
Well, actully its the 17th amendment, as the origional plan was to appoint Senators by the state legislature.
Thanks for the civics lessons all.
So let him release his medical records. Many candidates do. The fact that Bunning has refused is suspicious.
Everybody has a right to privacy, but when a 73 year old man is running for a 6 year term, and his health has been brought into issue by his own behavior, it is time to put up or shut up.
All that said, Bunning will probably still win, unless he actually starts drooling on camera.
Not to get overly pedantic, but the 17th Amendment merely changes the method of selecting the Senate, not its definition as opposed to the House.
Most of Salon's articles and commentary are left of center, though they also have conservative commentators. Their news standards, when presented as news, are high though. You'll see that the article is careful to be specific about what behavior has been reported, and by whom, and what is speculation. It also did not report the rumor that a deal was in the works for Bunning to step aside, presumably because there were no reportable facts to back it up.
The reporting in this story is easy to check. And it is highly unlikely that the central behavior involving the debate is factually inaccurate, as it is so publically available. To the extent that Salon has a bias, it is in choosing to report the story, but I think dismissing the story as "Fox News Left" is unfair to Salon's track record of good reporting, not supportable in the face of the story, and, instead, one should do some minimal fact-checking online to see if the story can be backed up.
From AP about the debate:
<i>Bunning apologized to Democrat Daniel Mongiardo during their only debate for saying Mongiardo looked like one of Saddam Hussein's sons.
Bunning them demanded that Mongiardo apologize for allegedly claiming the baseball Hall of Famer's health was declining.
"I'll take Partisan Attacks for five hundred, Alex!"
"And the answer is...'The chances that the article slamming Jim Bunning would've appeared in Salon -- or, for that matter, the reliably left-leaning Baseball Primer -- if Bunning was a Democrat?'"
BEEP! BEEP!
"Yes, Tom?"
"What is, 'Exactly zero', Alex!"
"Correct, Tom! You have control of the board...!"
(APPLAUSE)
And then when he dies he can run in Missouri.
The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof . . . .
I read that language to mean that, as one of the "people thereof" in Kentucky, I am entitled to vote for both Senators. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't divide the state up and allow half of it to elect each Senator.
Prior to the 17th Amendment, on the other hand, Article I, Section 3, clause 1 said (again, in relevant part):
The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof . . . .
Under that provision, if the state legislature wanted to, it could have chosen one Senator based on his or her ability to represent half the state, and the other to represent the other half, thus creating de facto districts.
South Carolina was really bad there for a while. The 1980's era New York of D'Mato and Monihayan (sp?) was craptacular, IMO.
The Bunning and Mongiardo campaigns had painstakingly negotiated a two-page agreement Sept. 17 setting strict ground rules for yesterday's forum -- the only one planned for this year's sole statewide race.
But Bunning's campaign called station officials late Saturday to say the senator wasn't coming and would remain in Washington because the Senate was in session through the weekend. The Senate adjourned for the year yesterday afternoon.
The station offered to reschedule the taping, but "the Bunning campaign rejected all the alternatives," said Jim Ogle, WKYT's news director.
Bunning later told reporters that he "didn't have time to schedule" after yesterday.
Carry on then.
BEEP! BEEP!
"Yes, Tom?"
"What is, 'Exactly zero', Alex!"
Did you read the article? Honestly, I'm more surprised that I haven't heard about this anywhere else yet. If there's any substance to this at all, this is a Senate race and a fairly major story.
out of left field, but pretty funny
Also, Primey for #31
Sure...we re-elected Strom when he was 94 years young.
South Carolina was really bad there for a while.
What was worse about Strom and Fritz than any other duo? Strom was mostly harmless, and no one has ever questioned Hollings' mental abilities. Would you prefer the Helms/Faircloth combo North Carolina had for awhile?
Your standards are pretty high. With standards like that, Strom Thurmond's record will stand forever.
I suppose it was out of left field (is that a swipe against my ideology? :) ), but I was thinking in terms of "quality of senate representation." Damn shame I sha'n't have the opportunity to be represented by a man of Keyes' caliber...
You say that as if it were a bad thing.
Sure...we re-elected Strom when he was 94 years young.
Yeah--but I figured the experience with Strom would've dissuaded you from trusting such callow youth in the future.
This just continues a long, if rather inglorious, tradition for the Commonwealth. That noted scholar and man of the people, A. B. "Happy" Chandler also represented Kentucky in the U.S. Senate (he was also twice elected governor). I live in southwestern Indiana but the TV stations here also cover a good portion of western Kentucky and so we get to see the political ads for those contests as well. Both Bunning and Mongiardo have been running spots on the Evansville stations steadily since the primary in May. I always mute them but I have to say that Bunning looks pretty shaky to me, he always seems to be leaning on something or somebody.
Hardee har-har, Sam.
Would you prefer the Helms/Faircloth combo North Carolina had for awhile?
Or like the Dole/Edwards NC of today? Or rather, the Dole representation we have. Edwards hasn't done jack for the state and I'm not sure Dole has, either. In fairness, neither has been in office all that long and Edwards quit being a senator in terms of work as soon as he decided not to seek re-election.
If you mean the ideology isn't what you like, that's one thing. But Helms broght a shitload of pork to the state. In terms of doing what a modern senator is supposed to do - represent the majority of his state's constituents and bring money back to the state - you'll have to go a long way to find a better senator than Helms.
BTW, did anyone catch Edwards' comments that Reeve would be walking around today if only Kerry had been president? I mean, I agree with the Kerry ticket on this issue - and feel fairly passionate about it, but Edwards' comments were nuts.
After Ditka turned them down, they should have turned to mini-Ditka. Obama v. a six-inch tall Ditka? Who wins?
Wasn't there any Illinois Republican willing to lose to Obama? You'd think that they could've found a downstate representative or something to throw over. It's one of the most bafflingly stupid political decisions I've ever seen.
He can't be all bad, then.
What a wonderful image--and appropos, considering NC's dependence on the hog farming industry.
He can't be all bad, then.
THEY can't be all bad, more like.
Both really. He had been governor and senator before becoming commissioner of baseball. After serving his one term as commissioner he was again elected governor of Kentucky in the 1950's. Chandler actually lived to be 90+ and was quite the grand old man of Kentucky politics, at least for the Democratic party. Any Democratic politician running for statewide office would make the trip to his home in Versailles to seek his blessing and pose for the obligatory picture.
Right--just throw some aging rep or some such out there, who had no further ambitions to ruin. As it is, they've brought tons of attention to themselves, and not in the good way; they're probably alienating more voters than they'd've lost by just running a generic candidate out there.
I'm not sure why a "strawman" candidate didn't volunteer--I mean, the campaign might've been a minor strain, but it would've been short-lived, since whoever it was wouldn't have won anyway.
I've noticed that for the most part, Illinois Republicans in the central part of the state tend to avoid posting the "Keyes for Senate" signs with the rest of the GOP offerings.
The exceptions, frighteningly, are churches.
Frighteningly, perhaps, but predictably--at least among certain sects. Hell, ultra-social-conservative churchgoers are Keyes' entire constituency.
Keyes' caliber is clearly .44 Magnum. Loud as hell, kicks like a mule, no sense of subtlety.
I particularly liked his recent article on the separation of church and state. If I got this from a law student, I wouldn't even bother giving it an F, I'd just tell them to do it again.
People in Illinois must just love this guy. They should have left Jack Ryan on; he couldn't possibly do worse than Keyes.
It's pretty obvious what's happening here. Bunning's body has been taken over by an alien life form, a "good alien," who is trying to warn us of the presence of "bad aliens" among us, including opposing Democratic candidate Mongiardo.
The alien likely took control of Bunning's body in one of those flashes of white light that occur during transcontinental plane flights, or perhaps while showering.
Bunning's irrational and insane behavior may be attributed to an inherent incompatibility between the alien presence and Bunning's physically decrepit body.
Mongiardo's apparently rational behavior, on the other hand, is indicative of the advanced soul-stealing capabilities of the bad aliens. That's why the good aliens are trying to warn us!
Vote Republican to save the US from aliens before it's too late!!!
I'll say this about Keyes, though... he's not going down with the ship. He's going to fight like a dervish for every single vote he can muster, even if he drives away twenty for every one that he attracts.
Of course, they also have Steve Buyer sho is a religious wing-nut, but its hard to bat 1.000.
Alan Keyes just loves God and of course, freedom...is that so wrong?
You're right about Indiana's senators, but it seems to me Dan Burton offset an awful lot of that "goodness" in his time in the House.
That linked article on Keyes and the first amendment's something. I also like the sig at the end--inviting us to join an email list aimed solely at efforts to "impeach the Supreme Court majority." What the hell does that mean--any random 5 justices?
Pundit Robert Novak defended Keyes against allegations of carpetbagging on the television show Crossfire on August 9 by asserting that Hillary Clinton was merely an opportunist whereas Keyes is a principled conservative.
Gold, Jerry! Gold!
No love for cheap smokes and fireworks?
I guess we'll find out when a baseball-player-turned-Democratic-officeholder becomes embroiled in a scandal. And that person would be, uh.... is Jack McDowell considering a run for office?
It's odd the way that Republicans complain about celebrities and rock stars and Hollywood types sticking their supposedly ignorant noses in politics, yet the celebrities who win office -- athletes like Bunning and Steve Largent, actors like Schwarzenegger and Fred Grandy, indescribables like Sonny Bono -- tend to be Republicans.
I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I just think it's odd.
Ummmmm... Lee Hamilton retired from Congress in 1999, having not sought re-election in '98. He was replaced by Baron Hill, who still holds the seat today.
In 2000, Hamilton's nephew, John, ran for a congressional seat representing Bloomington, but lost in the Democratic primary.
And your point is???? At least he loves freedom..
how about if I change my post to Indiana also boaste[ed] - will that fly????
naw, I'm just ignorant...what do you expect from a guy from Indiana?
Indiana also has John Hostettler who represents the 8th Congressional district. This is the guy who was caught with a gun in the Louisville airport and when asked what it was for replied, "protection". Of course he never did really make clear what he needed protection from; his constituents, street people, aliens? Hostettler is basically against everything that might possibly require spending any money, even if it would be for the public good. I am certain that he thinks George W. Bush is a flaming liberal. Hostettler has served several terms in Congress and as far as I can tell hasn't done anything worthwhile other than getting the local weather radar site approved.
Chandler then went on to run for (and win) the seat Fletcher left open in Congress.
The baseball connections to this story are just endless!
The baseball connections to this story are just endless!
And yet, no talk of MLB expanding to Louisville. Man, these guys don't represent their constituents worth crap.
Yeah, but I think Zell should count double.
Is that Robert "Douche Bag" Novak?
Please tell me you're not implying the American political system is riddled with blatant hypocrisy!
Wah!
Keyes said polls that show him trailing Obama by a wide margin are wrong. He added that news organizations that oppose him don't have unbiased polls.
"One of my first priorities in the U.S. Senate would be to ban publication of polls within 45 days of an election," Keyes said.
I'm confused--you mean their new distributor won't sell to Chicago outlets, or what? (I haven't been to Sam's in quite some time--maybe I'll ask next time I go.)
FINALLY - an issue that *truly* matters to the people of Illinois. Ladies and gentlemen, Alan Keyes... a man who understands priorities.
I take it you managed to experience the Arcadia ESB before this debacle, then?
It's that superior knowledge of the First Amendment shining through yet again...
It's hilarious that Keyes argues that the Tribune's against him. The Tribune would endorse Saddam Hussein if he ran on the Republican ticket in Illinois.
No, and that's what's got me thinking a road trip is needed.
Say--I'll probably be in the K'zoo/Battle Creek area over Thanksgiving weekend; I'd be happy to buy you a pint, if you're roadtripping then. I'm sure your family would be thrilled for you to go on a beer quest during the holidays.
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