|
Senator Mitch McConnell is often taunted for looking like a turtle. Example is the character from Disney's Robin Hood. |
Senator Mitch McConnell is a Republican from Kentucky. He has some issues. He leads the Republican caucus and its members of the U.S. Senate.
He and Senator Harry Reid (D-Nevada, Majority Leader) rule over the worst legislative body in modern history.
The Congress itself has ranked among one of the worst when it comes to getting things done.
It seems to have taken a toll in the popularity of the longtime veteran of the Senate.
He thought that actress Ashley Judd was a push over. He was hoping the Democrats were going to line her up so he could help motivate Republicans to take back the Senate. That idea was squashed.
Wait til he meets gun and coal industry supporting Alison Grimes, the potential Democratic opponent.
The Public Policy Poll has shook up the Minority Leader. He's trailing by one point against an appointed Democratic challenger.
But the news gets worse. McConnell may face a threat from the right. The Republicans are infighting and there's a possibility a formidable Republican could upset the longtime senator.
Right now as it stands, Kentucky is a
LEAN REPUBLICAN in my opinion. The state has voted Democrat in the 1993 and 1996 U.S. Presidential Elections. Bill Clinton, the only president from Arkansas managed to pull some of the Bible Belt votes. Even though Democrats are elected governors in the South, the states are trending more Republican.
Now say if McConnell does tread water against the Democratic nominee. He will likely win but by a nail biter. So it's still a LEAN REPUBLICAN.
Now if McConnell does lose the primary and there's a new Republican nominee, it's SAFE REPUBLICAN.
If state law allows it, McConnell runs as an independent and force a three way race, then it's going to be TOSS UP (LEAN REPUBLICAN).
The Republicans seize on the "dog whistle" politics that made it almost harder for Democrats to win.
The Democrats have 52 elected members and two independents who caucus with them. The Republicans have 46 members. About 12 of those members belong to the Tea Party Movement.
Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), John McCain (R-Arizona), Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Kelly Ayotte (R-New Hampshire), Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama), Lindsay Graham (R-South Carolina), Orin Hatch (R-Utah), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), David Vitter (R-Louisiana), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), and McConnell are the members of gridlock.
So far, the president's adversaries has been tooth and nail in stalling. The Democrats have warned the Republicans not to keep stalling (filibustering) the president's appointees.
If they continue, the Democrats may force a "nuclear option". The nuclear option is a forced vote by the majority. That requires the Senate to drop the bids of votes from 60 to 51. With Vice President Joe Biden being a tie breaker if the senate stalls at 50-50.
McConnell, Lee, Paul, Cruz, Graham, McCain, Ayotte, Sessions and Rubio always seem to be on GOP Sundays running off at the mouth about how President Barack Obama isn't doing anything or doing too much of something.
Which is it?
He does something or he does nothing!
|
Senator Jeff Flake (R-Arizona), Senator Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky, Minority Leader) and Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas). |
NBC News reports that despite reports of high fundraising, McConnell’s approval ratings certainly aren't helping his prospects. PPP data from April put him at 36% job approval, down from 37% in December.
But that same December poll showed that despite being the most unpopular senator in the United States, McConnell led all Democrats tested against him, including Grimes, who was shown at a 7-point deficit.
This most recent poll shows McConnell’s approval ticking up slightly, 40% of Kentuckians approve of the job he’s doing, but this number is a decrease from the 44% McConnell was sporting in late May. That month PPP placed him in a dead heat with Grimes, 45-45, “the weakest position PPP has found him in yet.”
One month after the left-leaning pollster found McConnell in a position of weakness, the Kentucky senator’s campaign came out with an auto-tuned attack ad on Grimes. Released one day after she announced her challenge bid, the video asks “What rhymes with Alison Lundergan Grimes?”, answering with phrases like “sticks to the party line” and “left-wing mime.”
The PPP survey did not include Matt Bevin, McConnell’s Tea-Party backed primary challenger.
Team McConnell released an attack ad on Wednesday, challenging Bevin for receiving a “tax payer bail out” after his Connecticut company failed to pay taxes and painting him as an “East Coast Con Man.”
A Republican poll by Wenzel Strategies last week found McConnell leading Bevin by a solid margin, 59% to 20%. That same poll showed McConnell leading Grimes by 8 points, 48% to 40%.
As you know, McConnell knows dirty politics. He was outlining a negative campaign against Ashley Judd.
He was going to slut-shame her. He wanted to paint the actress/activist as a "far left bimbo who would vote on legislation that regulate firearms and the coal industry."
He wanted to keep the interests of "Kentuckians" in mind by trying to dog whistle race, sex, gender, and political standings in this potential match up.
This and the Wyoming race are the most talked about in the 2014 U.S. Midterms.
What we'll expect from the 2014 U.S. Midterm races is Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Kay Hagan (D-North Carolina), Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), Lindsay Graham (R-South Carolina), and Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming) may face tougher opponents.
Enzi is facing a primary challenge by Liz Cheney, the daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney.
Democrats have retirements in Montana, Iowa, Michigan, South Dakota, and West Virginia.
If the election was held today, the Democrats would have 51 to 49.