All the details aren't in yet, but it's clear that Chuck Schumer of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Kentucky's new Democratic Governor Steve Beshear forced retired Marine Lt. Col. Andrew Horne out of the race to challenge Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
They deliberately and knowingly forced out the only Democrat in the state who had a chance of beating McConnell.
And they did it in favor of Criminal, Democratic Traitor and Two-Time Electoral Loser Bruce Lunsford, one of the most hated politicians in the state.
PageOneKentuckyhas a great round-up of the current coverage and speculation.
The power brokers of Kentucky and Washington, D.C. just made a decision for you, Kentucky, and that decision is one which says you’re too stupid to select your own candidate.
Read up. Get fired up. Don’t settle for strongarming.
Don't miss the comments. Lots of anger and lots of fun rumors, including speculation about a 527 fund connected to Lunsford that funneled big bucks to Beshear.
One of the more stupid excuses for the strongarming is a recent poll that tagged Lunsford's name recognition in Kentucky at 44 percent and Horne's at 14 percent.
(What that poll missed, and more, after the jump.)
What that poll didn't show, however, is how many of those 44 percent "recognize" Lunsford as the person who:
- threw poor, sick, old people out of his nursing homes to make room for higher-paying patients;
- bankrupted thousands of Kentucky investors in his nursing-home company;
- donated tens of thousands of dollars to republican politicians, including - wait for it - Mitch McConnell;
- spent $8 million on ads attacking the 2003 Democratic Gubernatorial nominee, then endorsed the republican candidate and eventual winner, and
- wasted $17 million on two state-wide election campaigns that he lost by double-digits.
Yep, that's the Bruce Lunsford Kentuckians love to hate. We know him well, and hate him even more than that.
If you surveyed Kentuckians on the name recognition of Satan, you'd get a positive response of damn close to 100 percent. That doesn't mean Satan could garner many votes here. Although if Satan were running against Bruce Lunsford, Satan might win.
Lunsford has six opponents left in the democratic primary, all of whom are so lame they actually make Lunsford look slightly less than horrific.
Iraq combat veteran Horne soared so far above the seven dwarves it wasn't even a contest. Which is, of course, why Schumer and Beshear had to force him out. Probably they just made it clear he wouldn't get a dime or minute of support from the state or national party, although other threats are not out of the question. Horne has a wife recovering from cancer and two minor children - far be it from me to judge his decision.
But it leaves Kentucky progressives depressed, angry and in no mood to help Beshear and Schumer re-elect Mitch.
This Senate race is about as FUBARed as politics gets in Kentucky, which is saying quite a bit.
Cross-posted at Blue in the Bluegrass.
