Posted on 03/31/2014 2:24:23 PM PDT by smoothsailing
March 30, 2014
Jennifer Rubin awards the Distinguished Pol of the Week trophy to… Mitch McConnell.
No one has been more vilified by the D.C.-based far-right machine than Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). If you didn’t know better, you’d think outfits like Heritage Action, FreedomWorks, Madison Project, Senate Conservatives Fund and these groups’ top cheerleader in the blogosphere, Red State, were working for the “Keep Harry Reid Majority Leader” fund. McConnell has been attacked for opposition to the shutdown, for agreement on a budget deal and for supporting items like the farm bill. Yet he now is running away with his primary race against the hapless Matt Bevin. His off-beat video went viral, making his geekiness seem cool.
And is she wrong to think that there’s a bit of a new strut in Mitch’s stride? I suppose that depends which race you’re talking about. Barring some sort of parting of the Heavens, the Bevin insurgency seems to have gone down to a case of crib death, so he looks to be in the clear there. But Rubin’s assertion that he’s a happy warrior and potential majority leader relies on two other things. First, it will require six more seats in the upper chamber. (Certainly possible and quickly approaching the point of calling it likely.) But the second assumption is that McConnell still holds the seat he currently occupies.
Rubin refers to his Democrat opponent, Alison Lundergan Grimes, as being all sizzle and no substance, and the linked article certainly makes solid points in defense of that argument. But is a weak opponent a sure fire ticket to the winner’s circle? Real Clear Politics “poll of polls” still shows the race to be a dead heat, with Grimes actually holding a one half point lead within the margins.
Personally, I find it difficult to believe that Kentucky has swung far enough that the Grimes lead will hold till November and actually take the seat away. But mid-term years are always full of surprises. I can see why Rubin would feel that the party faithful would celebrate a clear field for McConnell and encourage maintaining the status quo in a previously safe seat because no matter how you may feel about Mitch, he’s got to be a safer vote over the long haul than Grimes. But the outlook may still be a bit optimistic. Be careful that the smile in question doesn’t start turning into a grimace around August.
| Poll | Date | Sample | McConnell | Bevin | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RCP Average | 12/12 - 2/11 | -- | 55.7 | 24.0 | McConnell +31.7 |
| Wenzel Strategies (R) | 2/8 - 2/11 | 377 LV | 59 | 17 | McConnell +42 |
| Courier-Journal/SurveyUSA | 1/30 - 2/3 | 404 RV | 55 | 29 | McConnell +26 |
| PPP (D) | 12/12 - 12/15 | 540 RV | 53 | 26 | McConnell +27 |
Ditch Mitch, by any means necessary.
Ditch Mitch..and if he wins the primary, then elect the bitch!
How much is McConnell paying Rubin to write that stuff?........
Better to have the enemy you know for sure is an enemy than to have the friend you know will always stab you in the back at the worst possible time.
I’d like to see some current polling.
There’s been no published poll on this race since February 11th.
Ms. Rubin is a slut, not a whore. She gives away for free that for which others charge.
Those polls are almost 2 to 4 months old.
Me too. I don’t buy that witch is in the clear. I hope and I pray that Bevin wins the upset.
That's where we are headed, especially since Mitch has specifically eschewed the base.
Mitch isn’t above 60%. Who else is running in Kentucky?
If Mitch wins 60-40 some of the Bevin voters will vote for Grimes to remove him as Senate leader.
If Bevin runs strong he could replace Rand if he becomes president.
Yep, the most recent was Feb.11th.
2 months old - numbers have changed by now?
I live in East Tennessee. Several South East Kentucky towns are within 100 miles to the north.
A local radio station that apparently reaches into Kentucky had conservative sounding McConnell ads on the Rush show today.
I have no memory of KY political ads on our local media before.
of course not...... disertion in the face of the enemy is a hangin offense
No new polling I see.
For myself it doesn’t matter, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll vote for Bevin in the Primary and if he loses I’ll vote for Grimes in the General.
Better an enemy that I know is an enemy rather than an ally that I can’t trust.
Bevin was unfunded at that point and since then funded by senate conseratives. I’ve heard a number of his ads lately.
It will be interesting to see the next poll if they ever release one.
If I lived in Kentucky I’d definitely vote for the democrat before I’d vote for McConnell. A third party needs to be started immediately. But it may already be too late. If one had been started right after McCain lost it would be a power to be reckoned with today.
How can you tell he is smiling without any lips?
I look at my turtle and it is smiling at me only to smell later that it was just gas.
As if McConnell isn't D.C.-based...
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