Posted on 10/24/2011 1:36:17 PM PDT by SMGFan
Just a heads up. Seems Kentucky GOP candidate Williams is not likeable among other reasons as listed in the linked rollcall story.
He has been trailing in the polls and seems no one was able to turn this race around.
I searched Freerepublic and did not see a discussion. Did Tea Party & Conservatives give up? National Republics just accepted defeat in the Summer? Was it a loss once Williams was chosen? Did GOP cut there losses? I thought GOP was stronger in Kentucky. Is the Democrat that acceptable? Could circumstances like this happen in some cases in 2012?
I believe the incumbent demonrat Breshears has been up by 30 points or so from the beginning.
I have no idea why Republicans didn’t run anyone with a chance.
But remember: McConnell didn’t back Rand Paul either.
This what we would have gotten last year if the establishment GOP had their way?
Probably just like West Virginia. A Democrat who talks like a good ol’ boy and convinces the public that “he can keep my piece of cornbread buttered” while staying away from social Liberalism can probably win.
Free part of cookpolitical.com says
Kentucky Governor: Beshear is on a Glide Path to a Second Term
October 20, 2011
Senior Editor Jennifer Duffy writes: Of the three Governors’ races on the ballot in the next few weeks, Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear’s bid for a second term had the potential to be the most competitive. Republicans, though, nominated a ticket that has not inspired voters, has not raised the kind of money needed to keep pace with the well-funded incumbent, and has committed a string of unforced errors. As important, Beshear has governed from just left of center, which has kept him in good stead with a majority of the state’s voters, who tend to sit just right of center. As a result, whatever potential Republicans had here has not materialized, and Beshear should have little trouble defeating state Senate President David Williams.
Hi, you were listed in the topic in Kentucky about Williams getting GOP nomination. Can you share any info on this likely failure of the GOP in 2 weeks?
Kentucky is a peculiar state. It’s clearly a solid federally GOP state but aside from the State Senate, the Democrats still solidly control the statewide offices and House. When former Gov. Ernie Fletcher tried to break their influence, they turned around and broke him and ran him out of office. I wasn’t too sanguine about the candidates that materialized to challenge Beshear. I had hoped former Sec of State Trey Grayson to run, but he was so demoralized after his primary loss for the Senate that he resigned before his term expired.
Frankly, I don’t know why Williams ran at all if he wasn’t intending to make a vigorous race (regardless, he gets to keep his job as Senate President). Here in Nashville, we get political ads for the SW KY market and there has been absolutely nothing, almost as if the entire race is on cruise control for the Democrats. My worry is that we may end up completely shut out of all the statewide races (we’re down to 1 after Grayson’s resignation).
“Can you share any info on this likely failure of the GOP in 2 weeks?”
Governor Beasher has been able to keep national issues out of the race and thus give the illusion of distance between him and Obama. Also, David Williams has proven to be an aged, uninspiring candidate.
I was happy Williams ran cause I thought at least we'll have a strong candidate whether he wins or not. Obviously he has proven to be anything but a strong candidate.
Everything I've ever heard about Kentucky democrats makes them seem like the mafia, look at what they did to Fletcher. GOP governors have been few and far between, blowout loses by GOP candidates are common. Their power is in some ways is just as ingrained as it was in any deep south state despite the Republican party never being nonexistent there like it was in the south. As DJ said it's a peculiar state.
We need an Arab Bluegrass Spring in Kentucky to brake the backs of these pigs.
Forgot to add, I think these off year state elections are part of the problem.
One thing I would do in Kentucky is align the statewide offices to the midterm election years. The legislature goes up with the national midterms and I see no reason for the other offices to occur at the same time. I think it might even cut down on some of the chicanery and have it align to the GOP where it should be.
I remember being on vacation in a very dank Virginia Beach in November in ‘95 and getting outraged when I learned of the Democrats stealing the race that year (between Paul Patton and Larry Forgy), thinking it was a bad precursor to where ‘96 was headed. By the time it was “confirmed” Forgy had the race stolen from him, it was already too late to install him. Remember we didn’t even bother to contest it in ‘99 despite that fraud (when a loony toons lady ran). That’s the kind of crap we’re up against.
I’m also perpetually amazed that Mitch McConnell doesn’t do more to change the equation (although when he did try, he screwed it up, especially at his ham-handed attempt to replace Dr. Fletcher with Anne Northup last time). Although I’m loathe to suggest it, if we end up with goose eggs with any statewide offices in November, perhaps he could run for the open seat in 2015 and “retire” to the Governorship (as there may end up a Democrat battle royale to succeed Beshear, from Atty Gen. Jack Conway to likely new Lt Gov Jerry Abramson, the former Mayor of Louisville).
In the interim, we should focus on trying to win the State House, which we’re outnumbered by about 59-41 (it was 58-42 when a freshman weasel from Louisville named Wade Hurt switched to the Democrats only months after his election after he was bribed by the corrupt House Speaker Greg Stumbo — yes, the same Stumbo who spent a term as Attorney General exclusively attacking Dr. Fletcher trying to run him out of office). Two other RINO weasels had formerly switched to the rodents back in ‘07 (Melvin Henley, still in the House; Milward Dedman, who switched and then left to get elected as a local county executive — we recovered the seat last year).
Do you think Forgy could have won a court challenge? It would never be too late if the parties were reversed.
I don’t have any hatred in my heart for McConnell but so many conservatives do. Half of the people on here who backed Rand Paul did so cause McConnell was for Greyson. I’m thinking the KY GOP needs a new leader.
Could he have won a court challenge ? Possibly, but given that the KY courts are stacked with Democrats, unlikely. Too many Democrats get away with anything, and I’m flabbergasted that scum like Stumbo isn’t rotting in a prison cell (BTW, do you know how he got the Speakership so quickly ? After he didn’t run for reelection as Attorney General in 2007, a House seat opened up and he was effectively “coronated” as Speaker for having run Fletcher out of office for doing what Democrats have done undisturbed for decades in the state, hiring people of your own party for state jobs).
Being a made man has it’s privileges.
Hey at least it was a “merit” based appointment. He sure did a good job at railroading Fletcher.
I forgot to add that Forgy did sue through the courts regarding the ‘95 race, but it took years for it to unfold (most of the articles relating to it you have to pay for). Don’t look to Wikipedia or the like for details on fraud. ‘95 was probably the most egregious example of fraud in a KY Governor’s race since 1899, where the Republican won and the Democrat legislature & courts decided to overturn it (despite the protests of Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan, a KY Republican who knew a thing or two about Democrat chicanery), which led to the assassination of the Democrat after he took the oath.
A big part, IMO.
Fascinating.
Politics was so much more ‘colorful’ back then.
So, it would appear next Tuesday this will a disappointment for the GOP.
poll suggests Ugly result on Tuesday
http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=a6252cf4-7dc0-42af-b52f-61d935033d10
That is ugly indeed. Most notable are the unfavorables for Williams. You can’t win if your unfavorables are higher than the opposition. I saw an article today that quoted Larry Forgy as saying that the KY GOP put up their best, but I disagree. Had the Paulbots not gone after Trey Grayson so viciously, he could’ve been a much more viable candidate for Governor. Other than that, we’d probably have been better off going with a businessman who’d never held office before. I thought Williams was too much an insider and I believe he ran statewide some time ago and fared poorly.
An added worry is that we may be shut out across the board in the downballot races because of Williams’ poor performance, even though the Dems have two embarrassing moonbats running for Sec of State and Ag Commissioner. It looks like the office of Auditor being vacated by Crit Luallen is the one which appears the closest for the Republican. If one of our candidates win, they’ll be the instant frontrunner for Governor for 2015.
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